


Anomalies

by EmbraceTheVoid (Verandis)



Series: Anomaly [1]
Category: Hunter X Hunter, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Because of Reasons, Crossover, Dimension Travel, Every villain ever, Find Out Next Time on Dragon Ball Z, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'll add more tags as I think of them, I'm Bad At Tagging, Killua Is Not in Class 1-A, Midoriya Izuku Has One for All Quirk, Nen (Hunter X Hunter), Overpowered Killua Zoldyck, Spoilers, Who Would Win, and girls - Freeform, but he'll be around a lot, but otherwise he just does his own thing, for both fandoms, if trainwrecks are fun, jk, kind of, like in every major canon event, might be confusing if you haven't followed hxh, once again failing at japanese everything, or one zappy boi, out of character everyone, out of character killua zoldyck, spoiler alert they are, this is going to be a long haul boys, this is going to be fun, trust me it will be fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-10-30 06:25:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 34
Words: 78,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17823584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Verandis/pseuds/EmbraceTheVoid
Summary: Killua Zoldyck finds himself waking up in the middle of the street, in a world unknown to him. Given little time to adjust, he finds himself almost in the crossfire between heroes and villains. What happened? And will he get home, or will he be stuck in this oddly similar world that he doesn't belong to?





	1. Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't get this idea out of my head after I saw a work that sparked the idea in my head. So here we are! I did my best to keep everyone in character and write things out well, but this is like my... third fic, so it's probably not all that great. 
> 
> Feedback is more than welcome! Let me know what you think.

Sounds floated through the darkness, tickling at deaf ears. Killua Zoldyk drifted weightlessly through nothingness. Distant voices, insistent, passed with little notice. Hurried footfalls and panicked shouts, distorted and muddled, caused a stir. A nearby crash and a curdled scream banished the muddy daze, gradually bringing the attention that was demanded. Eyes fluttered and a chest rose. An thunderous explosion, all too clear, caused a jolt..

 Killua’s eyes shot open, instincts kicking him into high alert. In just the blink of an eye, he reached his hands back and used them to spring backwards. He landed on his feet and hurriedly analyzed his surroundings. Wide eyes, brimming with concern, watched him carefully from near where he laid. A street, littered with debris. A storefront, bellowing smoke and flames. Shouts as people ran past in terror. Distant crashes drew closer.

 Killua took a deep breath, then focused his aura around his eyes, using _Gyo_ to search for signs of _Nen_ use nearby. He scanned, finding nothing. A blast of air erupted from an alleyway, a figure dashing out to narrowly dodge it. __Nothing.__ He wasn’t immediately surprised. Not many people could use Nen, of course. He just had to-

 The figure he had been watching pulled back a hand, and Killua saw a ball of dark energy begin forming in it as the man cackled darkly. Similar to his father’s, almost. Except that he detected no use of __Nen__ from the user. __Impossible.__  He was confused, but he didn’t let it deter him for long. Hesitation was death. He waved at the couple who had been crouched over him, now staring at him in disbelief. “Well? Shouldn’t you get to safety?” He asked casually.

 Their mouths gaped for a moment before they looked behind him and saw the ensuing battle barely a block away. The man looked back and sputtered, “What about you?! You- you.. just appeared on the ground, knocked out!”

 Killua’s eyes narrowed as he considered, but there was no time for that. The ongoing battle was destructive, and he could be caught in the crossfire at any moment. He shrugged, “I’m fine. You should go.”

 After a moments hesitation, the couple both nodded and scrambled to run in the direction leading away from the fight. Killua dashed around the corner into an alley while he took a moment to consider. This street wasn’t familiar to him, but that alone didn’t bother him. He’d been in dangerous situations in plenty of places he didn’t know much about. But seeing something that was obviously a use of _ _Nen__  and not detecting the aura was unnerving. He was confident in his ability to detect it, now, so something else was going on. Was that person hiding it some other way?

 He peeked back out of the alley to notice that two more people had joined the battle. It appeared as if the two newcomers and the one who had used the dark energy were teaming up against the massive blonde man in a ridiculous skin-tight blue suit. He considered his options. He didn’t know who any of these people were, and he had no business interfering. He remembered his training, and the words drilled into his head countless times. He didn’t know if he could win, anyways. Which meant he should just run.

 But he wasn’t his father or his brother. He spent a lot of time making sure of that. What would Gon do? Probably rush in head-on and get himself hurt until someone else jumped in to save him. But who would he help? What was the nature of the fight? He bounded up the wall to the roof of the building next to him, perching on the roof and lowering himself down so he wouldn’t be detected as he observed.

 The man in the ridiculous skin-tight costume seemed to be struggling against the trio. They were attacking in a triangle formation, and anytime the man would attack one of them the other two would move in to strike. The dark energy user still had a mad grin on his face as he dashed around, throwing his attacks wildly. He took a closer look at the others, noticing one of the others was wearing tight, dark clothing and carrying two knives as if they knew how to use them.

_An assassin? Stupid, it’s broad daylight and you’re in the middle of the street._ He mentally scoffed at the thought.

 He dismissed that one and looked to the third. A large, somewhat plain looking man at first glance, but Killua noticed instantly the wisps of flame and smoke escaping from the man’s mouth. _ _Firebreathing? That’s__ _ _new.__ _ _.__ But it was clear that _ _Nen__  wasn’t being used here. He dismissed it. He wasn’t going to figure out the source of their powers right now.

 What to do? All of his instincts told him to get out of there and mind his own business, but he didn’t move. Things had changed for Killua, having spent too much time around Gon. His family would say he had grown soft, and reckless. __Maybe I have, but I don’t care.__ His first friend had an innocent and naive outlook on life that was contagious. Gon’s heart was pure and he wouldn’t hesitate to jump in right now. But Gon wasn’t there.

 Killua could quickly tell that the team of three were underground affiliated. Their demeanor gave it away. And although they were strong, clearly, they were amateurs in his field. Some people in the underground would call them grunts. They were sloppy and gave away their advantages before they even knew they had them.

 Whoever the man in the ridiculous getup was, he was the polar opposite. He held himself confidently as if the world was watching, smiling brightly. Killua could tell that the man was being careful not to cause too much damage in his fight. He was holding back.. He could see the signs of frustration at that. The man’s movements were leagues ahead of those he was fighting, but he was held back by his good-nature.

_Why do I always do this?_ He dropped from the roof silently and dashed up to the amateur assassin first, quickly landing a chop to the side of the man’s neck, grabbing their arm and twisting it back as he slammed his opponent face-first into the street. Unconscious.

 He easily dashed away as the surprised fire-breather let loose a gout of flame in his direction, and the man growled at him. The action called the attention of the super-hero guy, and the man glanced over his shoulder in surprise before adopting a stern look, “A kid? what are you doing? Get to safety! I’ve got this!”

 Killua started as the man left himself open, and a ball of dark energy exploded against his shoulder, sending him slamming against a vehicle. Killua gritted his teeth. The man stirred and began to rise quickly, but their opponents didn’t wait for that. A gout of flame and two orbs of energy flew forward instantly to take further advantage of the opening. Killua didn’t hesitate.

 He flared his __Ten__  through his body and dashed, hoping it would be enough. He chopped one orb, redirecting it to explode on the ground nearby, and kicked the other, this one rebounding into the air and exploding harmlessly. His __Nen__  strained as he withstood the flames engulfing him, and he felt his anger flashing. They weren’t holding back. They were here to kill.

 As the flames faded, he grinned wickedly as he stared the two oppenents down. _I guess I won’t hold back either._

 “Boy, are you alright?” The man’s concerned voice sounded behind him.

 Killua’s response was cold, “Great.”

 “Stand aside, citizen, and I’ll-”

 “Sorry, super-hero guy, but these guys are pissing me off.” Before the man could respond, Killua activated his _ _Hatsu.__  His energy crackled as lightning flashed around his body violently.

And he was gone.

Before anyone could react, he was behind the dark-energy user. A spinning kick snapped into the side of the man’s head, and Killua continued the momentum and swept low, sweeping the mans legs out from under him. The man hit the ground, hard, and Killua knocked him out cold with a swift chop to the side of the neck.

 He leapt up into the air as he felt an intense heat from behind him, and channeled his lightning into the tip of his finger as he flipped, upside-down, above the fire-breather. __“Thunderbolt!”__

 The world flashed suddenly, before a thunderous crack shook the air. The fire-breather collapsed to the ground as his body fizzled. Killua landed lightly beside the super-hero guy before sweeping his gaze around to make sure all the threats were eliminated.

 Satisfied, he shifted his cold, analyzing gaze to the shocked giant of a man who had barely had time to stand during all of that. “You alright, big guy?”

 Super-hero guy, as Killua decided to call him, hesitated before rubbing his neck and nervously laughing out loud, “Of course, my boy! I should be asking you that!”

 Killua looked himself over and shrugged, “Fine. Not even a scratch.”

 The man put on a stern face, “Now, my boy. That was reckless! You could have gotten yourself hurt, or worse! You’re far too young to be using your quirk in combat…”

 Killua watched him, expressionless, as he finished his tirade. But one thing stuck out to him, “Quirk?”

 The man nodded, “Yes, you can’t-”

 “What’s that?” Killua asked curiously.

 The man gaped at him and stammered, “Wh-What do you mean, what’s that?!”

 Killua rubbed the back of his neck and looked down, “..I was just asking.”

 The man ignored that and crouched down to be eye-level with the boy, “What’s your name, my boy?”

 “Killua, and yours?”

 That confirmed it for the large man. He wasn’t being conceited by thinking that this was ridiculous. _ _Everyone__ knew who he was. He knew something was wrong here. The kid didn’t seem scared, on the surface, but he could tell the boy was on the verge of fleeing. He plastered on a confident smile, but brought his usual booming voice down to a low volume.

 “I’m known as All-Might.”

 Killua could tell that he was expected to know that already, so he felt himself flush a little in embarrassment. “Nice to meet you, I guess.” He looked around. “But, shouldn’t we do something about these guys?”

 All-Might finished for him, “Yes, villains! Are they..?”

 “Alive? Yeah. I made sure not to hit too many vitals. The fire-breather might be in pretty bad shape, though.”

 All-Might started at the boy’s confidence, but let it go as he moved to start restraining the villains. Luckily, the police arrived at the scene to assist just as he finished tying up one that Killua had knocked out first. He let them take over after that, after making sure that they wouldn’t be a threat before the officers could safely suppress their quirks. The boy may be confident, but he was still a child. It wouldn’t do for the villains to get free and cause any more harm.

 Killua watched as the villains were towed away, and his mind raced through his situation. Here he was, in a place where people used such powerful abilities, he assumed what All-Might called “Quirks”, without the use of __Nen__. He didn’t know things that he was apparently expected to know, and the place wasn’t familiar to him. He was lucky that they could even understand each other. The accent sounded different, but not enough to be an issue. It sure didn’t look much different than places he had been before. At first, he had thought it was just a different city or neighborhood.

 Had some sort of Nen brought him here? The last thing he remembered was finishing the Hunter Exam and getting his license. What happened after-

  _ _“__ Greed Island.” He wondered out loud, the realization striking him at last.

 He had been heading back to Greed Island to meet Gon and Biscuit. Did something go wrong as he transferred into the game? The thought left his mind as All-Might’s massive form walked up to him and crouched down.

 Killua looked up at the man and asked quietly, “Where am I?”

 All-Might’s expression softened, “Musutafu, Japan.”

 Killua shook his head. He had never heard of a place like this. His suspicions were confirmed, but there was no comfort in that. Something had went wrong and he was sent here instead of to Greed Island. But how? And how was he supposed to get back? His head swam as panic set in. He wasn’t prepared for this. He couldn’t have anticipated it, but he kicked himself mentally, anyways. He must have made a mistake somehow. He had to get back, Gon and Bisky were waiting and they needed--

 He stopped as he felt massive hands grab his shoulders gently. He looked up with panicked eyes to see All-Might staring at him with concern. “My boy, are you all right?”

 Killua brought his hands up to break the man’s light hold on him and stumbled back, “I-I shouldn’t be here. I can’t be here. I have to go back! Gon’s waiting for me. He needs me to come back and-”

 All-Might stepped towards him, but Killua’s warning glare stopped the man. “Killua, we can help you. We just need to know what happened.”

 Killua forced himself to calm down, taking deep breaths and centering himself. _Relax. Panicking leads to mistakes._ He relaxed after just a moment, and he mentally thanked his father for the years of training, albeit grudgingly. His father’s idea of training may have been borderline sadistic, but the more time he spent on his own, the more useful Killua realized it had been.

 Finally relaxed, Killua returned to his usual demeanor. “Okay. Where should we go?”

 A tall man in a beige trench-coat, who had been waiting nearby, stepped up. He smiled brightly and tipped his hat to All-Might, who beamed at him. _ _They seem to__ _ _be friendly.__ The man turned to tip his hat down to Killua, keeping a bright smile as he introduced himself. “Hello, my name is Detective Tsukauchi. Pleased to meet you.”

 Killua gave a casual wave in return, “I’m Killua Zoldyck.”

 The man nodded, “We would like to ask you a few questions first, but then we’ll do everything we can to help you, okay?”

 Killua suppressed the urge to run. A detective. He didn’t hate police exactly, but considering his past they weren’t exactly people to be trusted. But he was in a different place. As far as he knew, this wasn’t even the same __world__. They only knew what he chose to tell them. Of course, they couldn’t hold him accountable for things that he did in a completely different world. Could they?

 He just nodded, following as the man motioned for him to. All-Might remarked that he would meet them there before taking off into the sky, making Tsukauchi smile and shake his head fondly. He led Killua to a black car and opened the back seat for him. Killua got in without much hesitation. He didn’t know much, but he was fairly confident in his abilities if the people he had fought with were considered even remotely powerful. He could easily get away if he needed to.

 The ride was uneventful. The detective made small talk as he drove, and Killua responded where he felt like he should, but kept it minimal. He was confused. Despite this place being so different, it was also very similar. The language was almost identical, along with a lot of smaller details. Even the vehicles seemed to be essentially the same as the one’s back home. He didn't want to learn more. He had to get back.


	2. Questions

They arrived at the police station shortly. Killua noted that this was also pretty normal. As they entered, they were given friendly greetings all around, and Killua noted that this Tsukauchi was well-liked. He seemed friendly enough, and Killua didn’t notice any sign of the deception that he had been trained to look for as well as make use of.

 He followed the detective into a plain room, the only furniture being a table in the middle and two chairs. __Even the interrogation rooms are similar.__ He sat in the chair that the detective waved for him to sit in, the detective sitting down across from him soon after, notepad and pen in hand.

 The detective had a friendly look on his face. His smile was kind, and it reached his eyes. Killua studied his eyes as he waited for the man to get situated and speak, searching for any reason not to trust him. He didn’t find any, but that didn’t mean he was about to go spilling his life story to the man.

 Detective Tsukauchi met the kid’s searching gaze, taken slightly aback by the cold look. He couldn’t be any older than 13 or 14, if he had to guess. He couldn’t help but wonder what the boy had been through to be so suspicious of people.

 Tsukauchi cleared his throat, “Well, for the record, would you mind telling me your name?”

 “Killua Zoldyck.”

 Tsukauchi wrote quickly,“Thank you. And how old are you?”

 “14.”

 Tsukauchi nodded, “What is your quirk?”

 “I don’t know what that is.”

 Tsukauchi paused, and he knew that Killua wasn’t lying. “Where do you live?”

 “Kukuroo Mountain.”

 The detective made a note of it. “I’ve never heard of it.”

 Killua nodded, “I know. I’ve never heard of this place either.”

 Tsukauchi nodded as a knock came at the door. Tsukauchi moved to the door to open it, revealing All-Might’s massive form. Tsukauchi smiled and waved him in, bringing another chair over. Killua watched with an amused smile as All-Might sat awkwardly in the tiny chair, mock grumbling about getting bigger chairs. Tsukauchi laughed before turning back to Killua.

 “Okay, then. Before we get to that, would you mind going through the events that led to you joining All-Might in the fight against those villains?”

 Killua nodded, “Yeah. Back home, I had just finished passing the Hunter Exam.” He paused to watch their faces for any sign of recognition, but found only puzzlement. He sighed. “A hunter is basically an adventurer for hire, organized through the Hunter’s Association. You have to pass an exam that tests your abilities in order to get your license. Only then can you be hired as a hunter. It’s pretty much every kid’s dream.”

 All-Might was confused, but his interest was piqued and he beamed, “Similar to the Hero exams here! That sounds exciting.”

 Tsukauchi shook his head at his friend’s excitement as he wrote.

 Killua shrugged at All-Might, “I thought it sounded like fun, but it was too easy.”

 The detective looked up, knowing where this was going, “All-Might can pry for the details on that later, I’m sure.” His tone was friendly, but Killua could tell he wanted to stay on track.

 Killua nodded, “Anyways, there’s a game, called Greed Island. It’s… different. My friend Gon and I spent a lot of time trying to find a copy and play it, because Gon’s dad had left a memory card as a hint to his whereabouts.” He shrugged as the two men stared at him in bewilderment. “It’s a long story. He’s probably the strongest hunter in the world, and he’s weird, but it’s irrelevant.”

 He cleared his throat before he continued, “Anyways, long story short, we found out that a billionaire had hoarded all of the copies of the game. So when we found out they were looking for people to play the game, we signed up. They tested our abilities due to the apparent dangers of the game. We passed, and they let us play it.”

 He sighed, pausing to let the detective catch up with his notes. “What we didn’t expect, was that they as soon as we entered the game, we really did enter it. We were pulled into this weird glowing room, where we chose our names and all that before being sent in.”

 Killua stopped as they stared at him in bewilderment, and he gave a small smile. “It gets worse. Before long, we found out that if you die in the game, you die in real life! And there were only two ways to leave. One, you beat the game. Which everyone knew. Second, there were either some really rare cards that you could use to get out, or there was an NPC that you could either defeat or pay to send you out.”

 He cleared his throat again, grinning at the adults utter disbelief at his story. Sure, they had people with super-strength and fire-breathing but the thought of a video-game-turned-real was suddenly too much. “The hunter exam only takes place once a year, and it was coming up. Our teacher decided that our training was sufficient and suggested that I leave to take the exam. I easily passed and returned to get back into the game. I don’t remember much, but I think when I went to enter the game, something went wrong.”

 Killua focused his gaze on All-Might, “Next thing I knew, I was waking up in the middle of the street, and watching three people team up on you.”

 Silenced stretched on as Tsukauchi finished writing his notes, and All-Might cleared his throat before asking gently, “But why, after all that, did you decide to launch yourself into a fight you knew nothing about?”

 Killua shrugged, “After making sure the people who were standing over me ran to safety, I decided to try to find out as much as I could. In my world, there’s a source of power we call Nen, that is kind of like an aura. When I focus it around my eyes, I can see what other people are doing with their Nen. After watching the fight for a minute, I realized that even with all the obvious powers being thrown around, I sensed nothing. However your powers work, it has nothing to do with mine.”

 Tsukauchi cleared his throat, “Sorry, that’s good to know, but that doesn’t tell us why you jumped into the fight.”

 Killua shrugged again, “All-Might was outnumbered, and I could tell that he was holding back to avoid causing too much damage. It didn’t take me long to figure out who were the evil ones, and after observing their…quirks?” He looked at the two men questioningly, and they nodded. “After seeing their quirks, I figured that if they had any more cards to show, they would have already. They may have had strong powers, but they were amateurs. I had the element of surprise.”

 All-Might had started at the kid’s nonchalant attitude towards the danger he faced, but soon found himself grinning widely, ignoring the playful glare that his friend Tsukauchi was shooting him.

 Killua smiled at the exchange. All-Might reminded him of a giant, older version of Gon. “And, my best friend has a bad habit of rushing into danger head on whenever he feels it’s right. Since he wasn’t there, I figured I’d do it for him, you know?”

 It was Tsukauchi’s turn to grin as All-Might pointedly ignored the not-so-subtle thumb pointing directly at him. Killua grinned along with him. Tsukauchi met his eyes brightly, “Well I, for one, am glad that you have a habit of backing up reckless heroes.” They both looked at All-Might as he coughed in chagrin. Killua laughed for the first time.

 After a moment, Tsukauchi cleared his throat and tried to return to his usual professional demeanor. “Well, Killua. This leaves us in a bit of a weird predicament. We can’t exactly punish you for illegal quirk use, considering your powers technically don’t count as a quirk. For your safety and privacy, we would like to keep this under wraps as much as possible. Unfortunately, like anything else involving All-Might, the media is a difficult thing to avoid.”

 Killua had been wondering what the consequences were for joining the fight like that. He wasn’t exactly worried, but it was still a relief. He shrugged off the rest. “It’s fine, really. It’s easy enough for me to avoid their attention, considering they don’t really have anything to trace me to. It’s no problem.”

 Tsukauchi and All-Might shared a look, and Tsukauchi nodded. All-Might looked relieved. Killua didn’t miss it. _Odd._ They weren’t suspicious, by any means, but there was something definitely going on behind the scenes that he didn’t know about. And that made him uncomfortable.

 “Detective, what's your quirk?” He asked casually.

 The men both gave him a curious look, before All-Might smiled at the kid’s observation skills. Tsukauchi started for a moment, and kicked himself for his lack of professionalism. “My quirk is Lie Detector. I apologize, Killua. I should have told you before we started.”

 Killua smiled in satisfaction and nodded, “No problem. I noticed something was going on. I didn’t think you would believe something like that.”

 Tsukauchi gave him a smile in thanks for his understanding, “It’s definitely a big help in this line of work. Now, off-the-record. Could I ask you something else?”

Killua raised his eyebrows at the mention of off-the-record. He thought about it for a moment. Now that he knew the detective’s “quirk”, caution told him to say no. The man had probably gotten very good and asking just the right questions to make sure he could catch a lie. But Killua had been growing tired of being cautious about everything, so he just shrugged. “Shoot.”

 Tsukauchi considered for a moment, “How is your home life?”

_He doesn’t miss much._ Killua could tell the questions the man really wanted to ask, but he was kind enough to leave the question open-ended enough for Killua to skirt around it if he wanted to. He considered how much to tell the man. He could completely dodge the question with general details and useless information, but considering these two were going to try to help him, he didn’t want to push them away.

 Killua sighed as he straightened himself up, “Off-the-record?” He asked, wanting to clarify one more time.

 The detective put his notepad away so fast it had almost seemed to disappear, causing Killua to grin, then raised his hands up in a conceding gesture.

_That’s a cool trick, but I saw it._ Killua found himself liking the man, however. He was genuine, like Gon, but also somehow tricky and smooth. He sighed, “Well, I know how bad it sounds, but hear me out.” He waited for a confirming nod before he continued, “I come from an infamous family of assassins. My childhood was torture. Literally. I was trained from the moment I could walk to be an assassin.“

 He took a deep breath, “I learned how to sneak, steal, spy, manipulate, and kill. I was subjected to all sorts of torture methods until I could withstand them enough to never give in. I was exposed to poisons, electricity, and other things to the point where I became nearly immune. I was abandoned outside of a place called Heaven’s arena when I was six. My father told me not to call him until I reached floor 200. There’s 251 floors. By the time I was 11, I had lost count of how many people I had killed. Then I ran away, because I didn’t want to kill anymore. Then I eventually took the hunter exam for fun. That’s about it.” And then he shrugged.

 He _shrugged._ Tsukauchi and All-Might were left gaping in disbelief. What kind of place did he come from? What kind of family did that? How did he even get up in the morning? Why is he smiling?

 Killua cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable, “Anyways, I’d rather not talk about it too much. I’m trying to put that behind me, you know?”

 Both men nodded dully, still trying to wrap their heads around it.

 Killua could tell, and felt awkward. “So… what now?”

 Tsukauchi gathered himself, clearing his throat and shifting uncomfortably. His quirk told him that Killua wasn’t lying when he said that he didn’t want to kill anymore, and wanted to put it all behind him. “Well, Killua. I’m sure that All-Might and some of the people over at UA high school would be willing to look more into what happened to bring you here, and hopefully find a way to get you back home. As far as here, I think you’ve told us.. more than enough. I’m sorry for prying. I didn’t mean to-”

 Killua held his hands up, “It’s fine. I told you. If I didn’t want to talk about it, I could have dodged the question just as easily.”

 Tsukauchi hesitantly nodded, “Okay, well.. thank you for being so open with us. I don’t have any reason to keep you here if you want to go. I’ll do my best to keep your involvement out of the reports for the fight with those villains, but I can’t promise anything. But, do you need anything from us? We’ll find you a place to stay, at the very least, of course.”

 Killua shook his head, not comfortable with intruding in someone else’ home. “No, no. I’ll be fine. Things here surprisingly aren’t that different than they are at home.” He gave them a mischievous look, “I’m resourceful enough to handle myself.”

 The two men felt chills down their spine at that look, but relaxed when Killua laughed. They all stood up to leave, Tsukauchi holding the door open for them both before stepping out himself. Tsukauchi put a hand on Killua’s shoulder before handing him a business card, “If you need anything at all, give me a call-- Oh, right. You don’t have a phone. Just a minute!” Killua watched as the man rushed off.

 All-Might cleared his throat. His usual demeanor had fallen back into place now that they weren’t speaking privately. He put a hand on Killua’s shoulder gently, “I’ll take you to meet Principal Nedzu at UA high school tomorrow. Him, I, and some of the other heroes there would be glad to help you. But,” He held up a finger and his face turned stern. “We can’t just release a minor onto the streets. It’s not safe, and if anyone found out…”

 Killua sighed, “I’ll be fine, really. I can figure things out on my own.”

 All-Might frowned, “And how are you going to do that, if you don’t even have any money?”

 Killua started, kicking himself mentally. Of course! His money would be completely worthless here. He couldn’t believe that he didn’t think about it, but he wasn’t about to stay with anyone he didn’t know. That didn’t know him. He wasn’t that trusting. Plus, he wanted to take the opportunity to explore and get to know his surroundings more. He had a bad feeling that he would be here for a while.

 Killua shook his head adamantly, “I’ll be fine.”

 All-Might sighed, knowing they couldn’t force him to stay anywhere, or do much of anything. “You’re going to give old Tsukauchi more grey hairs.”

 “Old?” Tsukauchi demanded from behind them. Killua and All-Might turned towards him, All-Might doing his best to appear innocent. Killua, on the other hand, had a wicked grin on his face. Tsukauchi rolled his eyes at All-Might, “If anyone’s going to give me more grey hairs, it’s you.”

 Tsukauchi looked at Killua, “Don’t encourage him.” He handed Killua the phone, “I think this will work. It’s a department phone, though, so you should only use it in emergencies.”

 Killua took the phone and examined it, deciding he could figure out the basics easily enough. “Thanks.”

 Tsukauchi nodded and smiled, appearing to consider for a moment. He put his hands on his hips, “Are you really not going to let anyone give you a place to stay?”

 Killua shook his head, “Sorry. Family issues.” That seemed to connect the dots in their heads, and they reluctantly nodded.

 All-Might held up his finger and looked around. He dug around in his costume. _Does that thing have pockets?_ After a moment, he pulled out a wallet. He removed a stack of bills, handing them to Killua. “Here, young Killua. We can’t have you wandering around without any of this, now can we?”

 Killua hesistantly took the money, examining it. It was different, but the numbers were familiar enough that he could figure out the amounts as he went. He blushed. He really didn't like getting handouts. “Uhm… thanks?”

 All-Might smiled brightly at him, “It’s the least I could do, young Killua. Now, try not to get into any trouble out there! Call me tomorrow so we can set up a meeting.”

 Killua nodded, and All-Might left quickly. _He’s probably super busy._ Killua turned to Detective Tsukauchi, “Thanks for everything, Detective.”

 Tsukauchi gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s no problem at all, Killua. If you change your mind, make sure you give me a call. It wouldn’t be a problem at all, I promise. I don’t like the thought of it, but I understand your concerns.”

 Killua bowed his head, “I swear, I’ll be fine! But yeah, I’ll call you if anything happens. Later!” He waved as he walked through the doors and left the police station.

 


	3. Exploration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who :)

As Killua left the police station he took out the phone that Detective Tsukauchi had given him. He checked the time, noting that it was almost 6 p.m. By his guess, it would be getting dark soon. He wondered how dangerous things could really be after the sun set. Either way, he found the idea of exploring a new place exciting.

 He walked down the street a ways, not really sure what direction to go first. He looked around for a moment before he decided a higher vantage would be his best bet. In moments, he had leapt up to the top of a nearby building, around 10 stories tall, to look around. The city was large, with buildings of various height filling his vision in every direction. He picked a random direction as he dropped lightly back to the ground and set off, deciding that it wouldn’t be good to spend his first day exploring leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

_I wish I had my skateboard._ Killua thought as he looked around. _I wonder if they have those here._ As he continued on, he examined storefronts and shops. He could read all of the signs easily enough, as expected. He decided to wander into a store and get a baseline judgement on how much things cost. It would be good to have a general idea of how much money he had.

 He looked around, noting prices on different items to give him something to go off of. Candy bars were between 100-300, though he didn’t recognize what the symbol meant. He had to assume that that was just what they called their money. He could figure that out later. He walked up to a glass door that held bottles and cans, noting that it was a cooler. All of those were around 400-600. He kept going, noting that most of the things here were snacks and small things. A convenience store, of sorts. He discretely pulled out the stack of money that All-Might had given him, quickly flipping through to get an idea of how much he had.

 He counted out six bills labeled 500, six labeled 1000, five labeled 5000, and ten labeled 10000. Killua quickly did the math and comparisons in his head. So the currency was very similar to his own, minus a zero or two. He had a total of… 133,000, give or take. A lot, assuming that prices scaled the same way as he was used to. He would guess that was more than he had on him in his own currency. He shook his head. All-Might must be loaded. He had to be careful not to flash the money, to avoid unnecessary attention. That wouldn’t be a problem. He made a mental note to thank the man, but he wasn’t sure the man knew how much money he had just handed over.

 He palmed two of the 1000’s, smoothly putting the rest away. He studied the chocolate bars, taking a few that looked good. Killua liked all chocolate, anyways. Then he grabbed a random bag of snacks, not really knowing what to look for. After that, he grabbed a couple drinks and walked up to the register to pay.

 The total came to exactly 2000. He smiled as he handed the two bills over and idly thanked the lady at the counter before he took his bag of snacks and left. He left, taking a quick look around by instinct to make sure he wasn’t being followed. Satisfied, he started heading towards where he thought the center of the city would be. The city reminded him a little of Yorknew City, though it may be a little smaller. As far as civilization went, things in this world seemed to be advanced roughly the same way, give or take a few discrepancies.

 The sheer amount of similarities struck him as odd. He vaguely remembered hearing theories about different worlds, or dimensions. Those were just theories from scientists who enjoyed their job too much, Killua had thought. Could they be right? Could this just be a different dimension of his own world? Regardless, he had to find a way to get back. He doubted there was technology that could help him with that if their worlds were on equal footing. He didn’t have much experience with it, but rumors of such things would have reached his family through the underworld one way or another.

__What about these Quirks, though?__ Killua asked himself. In just a few encounters with them, each quirk had seemed vastly different from another. They didn’t seem to be a secret like _Nen._ In fact, they seemed fairly common. From lie detection, to fire-breathing and super strength, he wouldn’t be surprised if there was a Quirk for everything.

 He smiled as he put off the thought for now. All-Might and his organization would help him. _And if not,_ Killua mused, _I’ll find the information myself._

The thought of All-Might piqued his memory. He looked around, spotting a few children bouncing down the street with their parents. One of them had a shirt, the other a hoodie, that looked remarkably similar to the weird costume that All-Might had on. Come to think of it, he had even seen a few things in the store that had that theme. He shook his head as it came together. _Of course he would be famous. That explains why he was confused when I didn’t know him. The money, and why he seemed to be in a hurry when he left._

That also explained a bit more the relationship between All-Might and the Detective. He must work closely with the police. _Seems like a hero-and-villain dynamic here. It’s like I woke up in a comic book._ Killua mused as he walked. If All-Might represented the heroes, they seemed more than willing to help him. Villains, on the other hand, could be a problem. Especially if news got out that he helped the hero that is apparently famous. Were they organized in any way, or were they just isolated cases of people with too much power that would rather just take what they want?

 It would be useful information to know, and he figured the heroes would have more to share when he met with them. He wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to find out on his own if he got one, though. His experience with the underground were extensive, and even though he didn’t have any connections here, he didn’t think he would have much of a problem. He could say a lot of things about his family, but they have had a status as first-rate assassins for generations for a reason.

 And just because he didn’t want to kill, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. He had no inhibitions about using the rest of his skills, either. For all of his confidence, he still remained cautious. His observations were limited so far, and he wasn’t one to let his guard down at any point, much less in unfamiliar territory.

 He made his way deeper into the city, keeping his eye out for any sort of sports-themed store. He could use a backpack, and he missed his skateboard. He almost felt bad for spending All-Might’s money on something trivial, but he felt safe assuming the man hadn’t given it much thought.

_Why do I always find myself around people that are too nice for their own good?_ Killua thought with a smirk. _Gon would love it here. Plenty of trouble to get into, too._ His thoughts took a darker turn at the thought of that. He couldn’t help but worry about his friend. _Stay safe, Gon. Bisky will give you hell if you get into too much trouble. I’ll be back when I can._

Despite his mood, he wasn’t overly worried about Gon. His friend was strong, if hot-headed and reckless. He had made friends almost every step of the way. If only he didn’t trust people so easily. But Killua couldn’t afford to dwell on that now. If anything, his friends were probably more worried about him. Killua wasn’t sure if he could blame them yet.

 He spotted a store that seemed promising, and wandered in. It was definitely sports-related, but there were a lot of things he didn’t recognize. In order to avoid being suspicious, he decided not to ask questions. He wandered around on his own, pretending to just be looking. Soon enough, he found a wall with a variety of different backpacks hanging from it. He wanted something big enough to hold anything he might need, but small enough to not get in the way.

 After looking through them, he found one that would work just fine. He checked the price quickly. 15000. He considered for a moment before deciding that the price seemed fair, and took it. He looked around for a while longer, getting a better idea of what kind of sports were popular here. He got excited when he found something very similar to a skateboard, but decided against buying one just yet. He wasn’t sure how long he would have to make this money last, so buying something unnecessary was risky. He paid for the backpack and headed back out.

 As the sun began to set, Killua both became more comfortable and more cautious. He didn’t know what the nightlife was like, but it was a universal thing that nighttime was the time for shady activities. It would be good to stick to more populated areas. He could disappear easily enough if it came down to it, but he wasn’t about to go looking for trouble.

 He continued wandering, casually strolling down the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets now that his new backpack held all of his snacks. The backpack was strapped tightly to his back to avoid throwing off his balance, and he adjusted to the light weight easily enough. But as he continued walking, an all-too-familiar feeling tickled at him.

_I’m being followed._ He considered his options, casually looking around as if looking for a place to shop, being careful not to give away that he knew. His tail was pretty good, and he didn’t know who would be following him. It’s possible that news got out of someone interfering in All-Might’s fight. If the villains had been organized, they might be upset that their plans were interrupted. In that case, they might want to take revenge.

 Another possibility was that All-Might and the detective had given his appearance to other heroes in order to keep an eye on him. That made sense, considering he __was__ a kid, both by his world’s standards and this one’s. A kid from a different world who had the skills of an assassin. He felt a pang of betrayal, as he had decided to trust the men to keep his past between them. _Trust no one._ The old teaching echoed in his mind. It was good advice, whether you lead an underground life or not. Maybe he was growing soft after all.

 The second possibility was the most likely, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t like being followed. That’s why he decided to confront the tail. He continued casually walking down the street, pretending to be shopping around, and that’s when he spotted his tail. A man in dark clothing was watching, crouched low on a rooftop to avoid being seen. Killua grinned. The man may be good, but Killua was in his element.

 He figured this was close to the center of the city, considering it was still so busy. He blended himself into a crowd of people, effortlessly cutting himself off from the man’s sight. When he was sure he wouldn’t be seen, he let his killer instincts take over. He dashed into an alley in the blink of an eye, following the alley to the next street in order to circle around behind where his tail had been perched. If the tail was good, he wouldn’t stay in the same place for long, but he would stay up high for a better vantage point.

 In seconds, he was silently climbing up the building that he had previously noted his tail to be watching from. He peeked over the roof to look around. He noticed that his tail had moved to a building just across the street to try to spot him again, so he silently ran across the roof, careful to stay out of the man’s peripheral vision, before leaping across. He landed lightly, and was behind the man in an instant. He sharpened his fingers and pressed them against the man’s neck, his other hand tightening in the man’s hair.

 He flipped his switch, and his voice was cold and distant as he glared down at his tail, “Move, and I’ll kill you. Call out, and I’ll kill you. Understand?”


	4. Snakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to cut this writing session into two chapters. This is the second, and it is Oh. So. Satisfying. Enjoy! I know I did.

This is not at all how Eraserhead had thought his night would go.

 He had just settled down for the night, when his phone rang. “Hello, Principal Nedzu.”

 “Good evening, Aizawa-san. I hate to interrupt your evening, but I have a favor to ask of you.”

 Aizawa had to suppress a sigh, “What do you need, Nedzu?”

 Nedzu gave a small chuckle at the Aizawa’s exasperated tone, “Did you happen to hear about All-Might’s fight earlier today?”

 Aizawa nodded, “Some kid stepped in to help him. So what?”

“Well, I won’t go into too much detail right now. We’ll cover that in our meeting tomorrow. In short, the child isn’t from around here, and he refused any offer of shelter from both the police and All-Might himself. I would like you to keep an eye on him, to make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble.”

 Aizawa groaned. He was too tired for this. All he wanted to do was sleep. He waited, as he heard voices in the background.

 It sounded as if the phone was handed to someone else, and he moved the phone away from his ear as All-Might’s obnoxiously loud voice came over the line. “Aizawa-san, hello!”

 Aizawa sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly, “Hello, All-Might. What do you want?”

 All-Might laughed loudly, “About the kid. His name is Killua. He’s a good kid, but doesn’t trust people easily. He swore up and down that he would be fine, but it’s better to be safe.”

 Eraserhead shook his head, knowing he wasn’t getting out of this. “Fine. I’ll follow the kid and make sure he do anything stupid.”

 All-Might laughed again. _The most irritating sound in the world._ “Thank you, Aizawa-san! Oh, and be careful.”

 And then he hung up. Aizawa rubbed his eyes again in irritation. _Really?_

___________________________________________________________ _

 Eraserhead started in surprise, but stopped as he felt the sharpness against his skin, followed by a trickle of warmth down his neck. His voice was tired and filled with reluctance, “Yes.”

 Killua didn’t let go, “Good. Who are you, and why are you following me?”

 Aizawa felt a shiver crawl down his spine as the kid spoke. _Why is his voice so cold?_ “Eraserhead. All-Might asked me to make sure you stayed safe.”

 Killua didn’t loosen his grip, “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

 Eraserhead sighed, careful of the sharp fingers at his neck, “Your name is Killua, and he’s hurt because you didn’t let him take you in.”

 “What else did they tell you?”

 Eraserhead groaned in annoyance, “Nothing, besides what you look like.”

__Hurt?__ Killua was satisfied, and he groaned as he flipped back to his usual demeanor. He sat down hard in exasperation. “Bah! I told superhero guy that I would be fine like 6 times! Why do him and suit guy care so much?”

 Aizawa was shocked at the kid’s switch in attitude, but he didn’t want to push his luck. And he definitely didn’t smile at Killua calling All-Might “Superhero guy”. He slowly sat down as well, sighing heavily, but he didn’t let his guard down. “That’s All-Might for you. The first to care and the last to think.”

 Killua huffed in amusement, “Yeah. I seem to find myself with that type a lot lately.” He eyed Eraserhead, noting that the man looked like a coiled spring, ready to jump. He couldn’t blame him. “So what’s your quirk?”

 Aizawa didn’t hesitate, “I’m not telling you.”

 Killua gave him the coldest glare he had ever seen, then switched back to the most innocent smile. “Aww, come on!”

 Aizawa sighed. _This kid is scary._ “My quirk can turn off anyone’s quirk, as long as I’m looking at them.”

 Killua jumped up in excitement, causing Aizawa to spring up into a defensive stance instantly. Killua cocked his head, “Relax. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already.”

_He says that so casually. And All-Might said he was a good kid? He did mention a detective, though.. so if Tsukauchi was there he would have known if the kid lied about anything. Who is this kid?_ Aizawa huffed, “Distrust goes both ways.”

 Killua had the decency to at least look a little guilty, but he was still excited. “Can you try it on me? I wanna see if it works.”

 Aizawa rolled his eyes, “It works on everyone.”

 Killua didn’t relent, “Come on! I just wanna know!”

 Aizawa groaned, “Fine. Get ready.”

 Killua waited, and as the man’s eyes began to glow a deep red, he felt nothing. Curious, he used his __Ten,__ feeling the energy flow through him, then used his __Hatsu,__ changing his aura into electricity. The lightning crackled and flowed around him and he smiled in satisfaction.

 The red faded from Aizawa’s eyes as he deactivated his quirk in shock. “What the..? What the hell is that?”

 Killua grinned wickedly at him, his hair spiked up wildly from the electricity. “I guess since it’s not technically a quirk, it doesn’t apply to me.”

 Aizawa stood frozen in shock. His quirk worked on __every__  quirk. What the hell is going on here? Who is this kid? “Someone has a lot of explaining to do.”

 Killua smiled at the man’s troubled look. “So, you’re a hero, right?” Aizawa nodded. “What’s UA like? I’m supposed to go to a meeting there tomorrow, or something.”

_Curious,_ Aizawa noted. The kid didn’t seem familiar with heroes, or UA. He felt himself becoming more interested. And irritated. All-Might and Nedzu just sent him after this dangerous kid, with nothing more than a brief description and an ominous warning to be careful. Aizawa didn’t hold any doubts that the kid would have killed him if he felt he was being deceived. He just ended up with more questions every minute. _What a headache._

 “I am. UA is the #1 hero school in the country, so every bright-eyed kid that wants to be a hero aims to go there. I teach the first-year hero course.” _Unfortunately._

Killua grinned, and Aizawa didn’t want to know why he had a glint of amusement in his eyes. But the kid didn’t say anything else.

 He sighed. _I’m going to regret this._ “Well, kid. You obviously don’t want to be followed, but I’ll never hear the end of it if I let you out of my sight. Trust me, I’d much rather be at home sleeping. So what do you want to do now?”

 Killua shrugged, “I was just exploring.” Part of him wanted to just leap away and disappear, but leading a hero through a merry chase through the city didn’t seem like a good way to keep a low profile. “Wanna tag along?”

 Aizawa grimaced, “I don’t usually just waltz down the street like that at night. It’s reckless.”

 Killua gave another wicked grin, “So it _is_ dangerous at night. Well, we don’t _have_ to walk down the street.”

 Aizawa raised an eyebrow, “Then what?”

 Killua turned and leapt across an alley to another building before he grinned and motioned Eraserhead to follow. Aizawa groaned, but he supposed it was better than waltzing down the street, or getting chewed out for letting the kid wander around alone.

 Killua’s grin grew when Aizawa landed quietly next to him. _Not bad._ He continued on, leaping from building to building, only stopping once in a while to take in his surroundings, mentally committing it to memory before moving on.

 They continued like this for a while, Aizawa content to fall into the rhythm as he observed the kid. _He’s used to this. And he’s good at it. He’s completely silent. Odd._  He kept his eye on their surroundings, of course. As if he was on patrol. And as they got further from the center of the city, they entered into the area he usually patrolled. He waited until Killua stopped to look around, then landed right next to him.

 Eraserhead held up a hand to signal him to wait, “This is the neighborhood I usually patrol. One of the most dangerous ones in the city.”

 He didn’t think it necessary to add any further warning, and he was right. Killua just gave him a serious nod in acknowledgement, saying nothing. _For once, a kid that doesn’t just blabber on about nothing nonstop._ Killua looked around for a moment more, seeming satisfied, then dashed over to the next rooftop.

 Aizawa followed. If anything, he was more curious about the kid, but he was content to continue on silently. He would be filled in tomorrow. And considering he knew all too well the dangers of this neighborhood, he needed to remain alert. He wasn’t happy letting the kid come here, but short of typing him up with his capture weapon, he knew there wasn’t much else he could do.

 A few leaps later Killua stopped again. This time, however, he held up his hand and cocked his head as if listening for something. Curious, Aizawa crouched down next to him and looked around, searching for any signs of trouble. Moments later, they both heard a crash and a scream in the distance. If Killua had to guess, it was about 4 blocks away. He dashed in that direction faster this time, moving smoothly from rooftop to rooftop until he was crouched on a roof, looking down at a hectic scene.

 Just a moment later, Eraserhead landed next to him to take in the scene. It was a bank. The front of the bank was destroyed, and there were five villains outside loading bags into a van. They were loudly arguing and taking way too long in their getaway. Killua looked over to see Aizawa on the phone, speaking quietly but urgently. Killua looked back to keep an eye on the scene. They were really just standing around outside the bank, arguing about something or other.

 Killua scoffed in disbelief, “Stupid.”

 Eraserhead grunted beside him, hanging up and pocketing his phone.

 Killua looked up, “Well, what do we do?”

 Aizawa gave him a look, “We? Endeavor will be here in just a moment. _I’m_ going to assist him.”

 Killua snorted, “Sure. Who’s Endeavor?”

 Aizawa glared at him as if he was making a joke. “Really?”

_Dead serious._ “Really.”

 Aizawa sighed. This wasn’t the time. “He’s the number 2 hero.”

 “You don’t like him.” It wasn’t a question.

 Aizawa eyed him for a moment, “He’s ruthless. And reckless.”

 Killua just nodded, “Will that be enough?”

 Aizawa rolled his shoulders, “It’ll have to be.”

 “Not what I meant.”

 Aizawa glared at him before sighing, “I don’t know. This group has been eluding us for a while now.”

 “I can help.”

 “Absolutely not.”

 Killua threw his hands in the air. “Fine. I’ll just watch. But if you two start struggling…”

 Eraserhead heaved a sigh, rubbing his eyes and putting his goggles on and standing up straight. “Deal.”

 Killua nodded as he watched Eraserhead prepare to engage, “Be careful.”

 “Always.” A huge gout of flame barreling towards the villains signaled Endeavor’s arrival, and Eraserhead took the opening to leap off the roof, throwing his capture weapon at the nearest villain and canceling their quirk. The villain was sent flying against the wall before he could react. Eraserhead moved smoothly to the next, moving in quickly to strike, but the villains recovered from the surprise attack quickly. In moments, spike projectiles drove Eraserhead back.

__He isn’t canceling that one’s quirk.__ Killua observed. The spikes came from something that didn’t look human. It looked like a huge porcupine. _So, there are quirks that completely change a person. If he even could cancel that, it would probably kill them._ He sighed. The main advantage villains had was that they usually didn’t care about repercussions. They felt no need to hold back, and it showed.

 He kept watching as Eraserhead dodged the projectiles. It didn’t look good. He had taken one of the villains out, of course, but just one other was taking up all of his attention. The other three had their attention on Endeavor, who strode forward confidently. Obviously, his quirk was fire, and he was covered in it. Killua could quickly see why he was ranked so highly as a hero. He quickly dispatched one of the villains by blasting him with fire. The man flopped to the ground, unconscious. Or dead.

__Two down, three to go.__  Endeavor was relentless, shooting wave after wave of fire at the villains, leaving the villains little time to react. It didn’t last long, however. The woman facing Endeavor shared a look with the man next to her and nodded. The man made like he was going to charge Endeavor, but suddenly turned and ran to the side.

 Straight at Eraserhead. Eraserhead noticed and turned, leaping backwards to dodge the man’s attack, but two spikes cut off his retreat, forcing him to stop or be impaled. The charging villain used the opportunity to grab Eraser’s arm and leg. Eraserhead felt both go limp before canceling the man’s quirk, but the effects remained. The attacker fired off a hook into Eraserhead’s jaw, sending him tumbling to the ground.

 Killua vaguely heard Endeavor growl before letting loose a huge wave of fire at the villain, but he narrowly dodged it. Instead, he watched it engulf the porcupine villain. The villain screamed in agony before falling to the ground lifelessly.

_Looks like that guy can paralyze people that he touches. Dangerous, but he doesn’t look fast enough to get close to Endeavor._ Endeavor seemed to know that, and hurled another wave of fire before the villain could charge at him. The man moved to dodge it, but he didn’t have to.

 Endeavor cursed as his flames hissed, going out as they met a wall of water.

__So,__ Killua realized, _she waited until Eraserhead was out of the fight before showing her Quirk. Risky, but smart._ Either this was meant to be a trap, or the villains got lucky with this matchup. _Either way, looks like that’s my cue._

Killua leapt down next to Endeavor, and the man gave him an irritated sneer, “Boy, can’t you see I’m fighting here?”

__Wow, I already don’t like you.__ Killua glared at him, “Yeah, and you’re losing. I’ll take care of her.”

 Before Endeavor could respond, Killua summoned his _Hatsu,_ the electricity crackling as it flared to life around him. The water-user froze in place, her obvious disadvantage becoming clear. Killua grinned wickedly at her, pointing his finger at her as he gathered electricity in it. “Close your eyes, Fire Beard. _Thunderbolt!”_

The lightning shot forward, colliding with the woman. Her screams were drowned out by the thunderous crack that filled the air.

 Endeavor lowered the arm he had brought up to shade his eyes to see the water-user unconscious on the ground. He looked up to see the last villain frozen in place. They locked eyes, and the villain’s face flashed with fear. He turned to run, and Endeavor dashed forward to stop him. The villain made it a few steps before strips of cloth wrapped around him. _Ah,_ Killua noted, _the paralysis must not last that long, then. Good, that means-_

A sharp pain bloomed in his shoulder, and he yelped in pain as he turned to see someone sinking their teeth into his shoulder. The man let go, flicking a snake-like tongue before chuckling darkly at the shocked look on Killua’s face, “What’s wrong? Oh, don’t worry, kid. It’ll be a painless death for you. That’s what you get for meddling in our plans.”

 Eraserhead whirled around at the voice, his face twisting in horror, “No! Black Mamba.”

 Endeavor spun on his heel at the name. The infamous villain was known for having fangs like a snake, injecting venom in his bites that would paralyze within seconds, killing within minutes. There was no known cure for the venom.

 Killua’s shocked expression faded, all but his eyes becoming dangerously blank. He flipped his switch at the threat of death. A malicious aura flooded from him, freezing everyone in fear. He turned on this villain, his wild gaze holding the villain in place. “A painless death? No promises.”

 Killua’s hand flashed forward. The villain felt a flash of pain, and he looked down as a hint of blood leaked from the new hole in his chest. He looked up slowly, sluggishly, at Killua.

 Who was holding a heart. His heart.

 “Hey… that’s mine…”

 Killua grinned madly, his tone cold and empty, “Don’t worry, I’ll give it back.”

 The villain clutched at his own chest and collapsed.

 Killua crouched down and placed the heart in the villain’s outstretched, lifeless hand.

 Eraserhead and Endeavor stared in shock as Killua walked back up to them, his expression betraying none of the malice that it had just shown.

 Killua stopped when he noticed their expressions, “What?”

 They shared a look, their faces pale and covered in sweat. Eraserhead was speechless, so Endeavor cleared his throat and took over, “Well- Uh.. kid. That villain…”

 Killua started, remembering that they weren’t allowed to kill villains, “Oh- I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to I swear! He said I was going to die and I--”

 Endeavor waved his hands urgently, causing Killua to stop. “No- well.. We meant-- That villain’s quirk. His venom is deadly.” He looked down at his feet, “There’s no cure. I'm.. sorry.”

 Killua was confused for a moment, before remembering that they didn’t know him. “Oh! That? It’s fine. Snake venom is a common poison where I’m from. My father used it on me all the time when I was growing up to build up my immunity. It doesn’t really effect me.”

 Their jaws dropped, and even Endeavor was completely speechless.


	5. Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has taken over my life. I can't stop. Send help.
> 
> Also: Incoming roller-coaster.

At noon the next day Killua found himself at the gates of UA, accompanied by Detective Tsukauchi. The school was impressive, and Killua grinned. He had never really been in a real school before, and although this one was far from normal, that made it even more interesting.

 It was summer, Killua found out, which meant that there were no students in attendance. When he asked why teachers were there, Tsukauchi informed him that they had a lot of planning to do regarding entrance exams and discussing what the year would bring. _Sounds boring._

 They were admitted, and Tsukauchi led the way. He seemed to know where he was going. Apparently, quite a few of the teachers were some of the top heroes, and would be in the meeting. He felt a little nervous. He didn’t like being the center of attention, having spent most of his life staying out of sight and out of mind. He took a deep breath, steeling himself against the nervousness.

 His shoulder itched. Once the heroes had calmed down from their shock, he had had to convince them in further detail why he was immune to that villain’s venom. Which in turn led to more disbelief and more explaining. By the end of it, he wasn’t sure who was more exhausted. Him, or the heroes. The idea that someone so young had been subjected to almost every torture method imaginable didn’t sit well with them, of course. For all the effort he put into downplaying it, he didn’t spare them the facts.

 He had considered the pros and cons of telling them, of course. The cons weren’t many. He didn’t see himself having to fight any of them in any serious way, so losing the advantages of his immunity didn’t matter too much. The main con, was the inevitable suspicion due to his past. He wasn’t really asking for trust, though. There was really only one thing he wanted to know.

 Did they know a way for him to get home?

 He had a feeling it wouldn’t be so easy. Things were never that easy. But he had to try, of course. If they didn’t know of a way, he would find a way himself. And if there wasn’t a way at all?

 He would cross that bridge when he came to it.

 They soon found themselves outside of an office door. Detective Tsukauchi knocked, and a voice from inside called them in. They entered, and Killua quickly filed away the layout of the room before studying it’s inhabitants. All-Might was here, of course. Eraserhead, as well, as he had said he would be. He didn’t recognize anyone else.

 Killua hid his shock as the rodent-looking thing spoke in a cheery voice. “Welcome, Killua Zoldyck! Thank you for joining us. Please, have a seat! You as well, Detective!”

 Killua gave a small bow, not exactly sure of the customs in this situation, and sat in the indicated seat.

 The rodent spoke again, “I’m Prinicpal Nezu. It’s a pleasure to meet you. You’ve met All-Might and Eraserhead already, of course. We also have Present Mic,” He waved to the blonde man who had headphones and some sort of device around his neck. The man looked as if he wanted to speak, but he gave a friendly wave instead.

 “We also have Ectoplasm,” A dark man with an odd skull-like face, dressed in a massive beige trenchcoat, nodded politely at him.

 “Midnight,” The raven-haired woman gave him a beautiful smile and waved.

 “Snipe,” A masked man, with a huge hat and red cloak nodded curtly in greeting.

 “Thirteen,” a person in a huge white suit and dome-like helmet gave him a wave.

 “And finally, Vlad King,” The bulky, gray haired man wore a blood-red, black, and white suit. He gave a polite wave.

 Killua took in the various people in front of him. _This is an interesting group._ He bowed politely, his nervousness increasing as they all watched him. “Um.. nice to meet you all.”

 Principal Nezu smiled comfortingly at him, “Well, now that the pleasantries are out of the way.. Forgive me, Killua. In order to save time, All-Might has already given a general explanation of your circumstances to bring everyone up to speed.”

 Killua thought for a moment, “How general?”

 Nezu smiled, “The series of events from your world that lead you to waking up on the street.”

 Killua nodded, “What about the fight with All-Might?”

 Midnight started, sitting up excitedly “That was you?! How did a cutie like you do all that?!”

 Eraserhead scowled at her, and the rest of the room shared a laugh.

 Killua looked down to hide his blush, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

 All-Might cut in with a boisterous laugh, “Oh don’t embarrass the young man, Midnight!”

 Nezu smiled, “Unfortunately, we also must talk about your involvement in the fight last night. If you’d like, we can do that in a more private setting.”

 Killua looked at Eraserhead, who just cocked an eyebrow. Everyone else looked curious, besides Detective Tsukauchi. He must have gotten the report, of course. _So, the rest of them don’t know. What to do?_ He didn’t want to push anyone in the room away, in case any of them could help him. He sighed. If he was going to be in trouble for it, it didn’t matter who knew.

 “We can talk about it now, I guess.”

 The Principal nodded, “Would you mind giving us the details?”

 Killua took a deep breath, calming himself down and recalling the details. He recounted the events down to the smallest detail that he could remember, knowing that he couldn’t leave anything out considering that there was already a report, and Eraserhead was there with him. Once he finished recounting up to and including the villain he killed, and the venom that he had revealed himself to be immune to, he took a deep breath and let it out.

 The room was silent for a moment. Nezu hesitantly looked up at Detective Tsukauchi, who nodded hesitantly. His face was a pale white. Killua looked around the room, noting all of the shocked expressions.

 He cleared his parched throat, feeling awkward, “Come on, is it really that weird?”

 “Yes!” Came from almost everyone in the room.

 “Oh.”

 He watched as they gathered themselves, all with varying levels of success. Midnight was the first one to recover, her eyes glinting in amusement. “Did you really…”

 “...Call All-Might “Super hero guy?” She asked with barely contained amusement.

 Killua blushed, “Uh…Yes?”

 All-Might blushed slightly, but his face betrayed amusement as well.

 Vlad chimed in next, “And you called Endeavor “Fire Beard?”

 “Yes?”

 A pause, and then room exploded with laughter. All-Might covered his mouth and leaned over, trying to hide it. Eraserhead hid his face in his capture weapon, but Killua could see his shoulders shaking. He was confused, to say the least. He had actually killed someone, and they thought his nicknames were funny?

 He gave a small grin as he waited for them to calm down. Their amusement was contagious. Even Tsukauchi, with all his professionalism, struggled to contain his smile. Principal Nezu was the first to recover, and they locked eyes as they waited for everyone to stop laughing.

 Midnight was the last. She leaned back, taking a deep breath and wiping tears from her eyes. The mirth had a lasting effect on the room, and it seemed nobody wanted to ruin it. Killua didn’t want to be the one, but it had been bothering him since it happened. And he knew it was on everyone's mind. It had to be addressed.

 “But.. I killed someone.”

 That sobered everyone up. Killua looked down in shame. He really didn’t want to do it, but his instincts had kicked in at the threat of death. But that was his own fault for losing control. Would they still help him get home? Or would they try to lock him up in a prison for murder? He shouldn’t even exist here. If that happened, he was trapped here. He would never get home to see Gon again. He felt tears prickling at his eyes, his breathing becoming short and ragged.

 A comforting hand settled on his shoulder. He looked up through tear-filled eyes to see Detective Tsukauchi crouched down next to him, his eyes full of concern and sympathy. “Killua, it’s okay. Let me explain, alright?”

 Killua nodded hesitantly. The Detective patted his shoulder and continued.

 “Considering all of the previous circumstances, as we know them, we know that everything must be hard for you. You’re a teenager in an unfamiliar world, with it’s own circumstances that must be a shock to take in. You were caught in a battle between a hero and villains within minutes of arriving here, and you identified and chose to side with the hero. In two cases. You came willingly and answered all of our questions willingly, even ones that you surely didn’t have to answer.”

 Tsukauchi squeezed his shoulder comfortingly again before continuing. “You’ve told us about your past, as shocking and hard to believe as it is. But we know it’s the truth. It’s also the truth that you have been trying to escape those ways. Considered alongside the fact that the villain you killed was one of the most dangerous and elusive men we’ve had the misfortune to deal with, we can’t in good faith punish you with all of that on your shoulders. We believe you’ve been through enough, and in the end, you’ve done us all a good service.”

 Killua held back a sob. He couldn’t believe it. How were there so many good people in this world? Had his world been the same? Before he met Gon, his life had been all secrets, plotting, and murder. He had never trusted anyone enough to find out. All he had seen was lies and deception. Every smile was a means to an end, ever kind word the same. He had clung to Gon as the only truly good person in the world. His only friend.

 Tsukauchi wrapped an arm around him, and for once in his life accepted it. He leaned into the embrace willingly. Killua didn’t know how long it was, but after a while, Tsukauchi gingerly loosened his hold and pulled back. He gave Killua an apologetic look. Killua began to calm down, wiping the tears from his face. He took deep breaths, schooling himself and reeling his emotions back in. Before long, he was back to normal. Even if his eyes were a little bloodshot.

 Tsukauchi smiled down at him, “We’ll do our best to keep the events under wraps. Officially, however, and for some reason or another, Endeavor has volunteered to take the blame for the villain’s death in case the story managed to break.”

 That seemed to sober everyone up, and Killua noted the various shocked expressions that filled the room. Nobody seemed to believe it. After such a brief encounter, Killua couldn’t understand why the man would take such a risk. “Why?”

 Tsukauchi gave a small shrug, “He told me that he was used to it, which I suppose it true. He also said, and I quote, “The kid has enough to deal with.””

 All-Might bellowed a hearty laugh, “So he has a soft side after all!”

 Killua heard scoffs of disbelief from most of the room.

 Principal Nezu cut in, “I’m afraid I must agree with the general consensus here. As much as I would hate to say it, and this must never leave this room, you should be careful around that man, Killua.”

 Everyone in the room nodded, and Killua agreed. “Always.”

 Eraserhead gave him a look that could almost be amusement before Nezu continued. “Now, Killua. I’m afraid that our limited search through Quirk records haven’t yielded much. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but we will continue to dig for a way to get you home. You have our word.”

 Everyone in the room agreed, and Killua nodded. He hadn’t expected results after a single day, after all.

 Nezu continued, “Also, as much as I would like to, I’m afraid that both without an official identity and educational background, we can’t invite you to take part in the entrance exam for UA.” He held up a hand at the few protests from the teachers, “However, I would like to extend an invitation to you to join in some of the more practical activities with the next hero course. I know it’s a shaky position, but we can work out the kinks after the entrance exams. You would be free to do as you wish, for the most part, but this would give you many good opportunities for the future.”

 “I believe that both you and the students could learn a lot from each other. And, in the unfortunate event that we can’t find a way to get you back home, it would be good for you to get to know some children your own age. Whether or not you explain your circumstances to them is up to you, of course, but I would advise caution in that regard as well. Villains don’t rest, and I wouldn’t put it past them to target you if they ever found out.”

 Vlad King let out a soft laugh, “They might regret it if they did.”

 Killua smiled innocently at him, “What do you mean?”

 Vlad just rolled his eyes, and some of the heroes laughed.

 Principal Nezu cleared his throat, “I know that you want to get home, but if circumstances won’t allow that, I believe that you could become a great hero, Killua! We will, of course, prioritize getting you home, but it wouldn’t hurt to cover all the possibilities, you understand?” He did. All too well. “If Detective Tsukauchi would be willing to help in getting you an official identity, we could also look to get you a Provisional Hero License so that you could begin that path, if you would like to.”

 Tsukauchi nodded in acknowledgement. Principal Nezu cleared his throat, “I believe that about covers it for this meeting. Do you have anything you would like to ask of us, Killua?”

 Killua stood up to leave, but thought for a moment, “You’ve given me a lot to think about, but I’ll let you know if I do?”

 Principal Nezu nodded, “Of course, of course. However, one more thing to think about!”

 Killua stopped and raised an eyebrow before Nezu continued. “None of us are comfortable at the thought of you wandering the streets with nowhere to go, Killua. Would you at least considering letting someone give you a place to stay?”

 Killua shot a playful glare at All-Might and Detective Tsukauchi, who feigned innocence, and gave an exaggerated sigh, “I’ll think about it.”

 “That’s enough for me. Thank you for meeting with us, Killua. Keep in touch! Oh, and the entrance exam is in three days. School will officially start in five!”

 Killua nodded and waved goodbye to everyone.

 “Killua.” Eraserhead’s tired voice called out.

 He turned, “Yeah?”

 “Please do refrain from killing any villains, okay?”

 Killua just nodded. He wouldn’t kill anyone again.

 Unless he had to.


	6. Unforseen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor timeskip, but you know what time it is! Obviously, some things happen differently here, and some details are left out since it's mostly focused on Killua here.
> 
> Either way, let me know what you think! I'd apologize for the minor cliffhanger, but I'll probably have the next chapter posted before anyone reads this anyways :D

Throughout the next week, Killua found himself coming and going from UA. It had been a few days since classes had started, and although he had spent some time there, he couldn’t bring himself to stay long. He didn’t belong there. He didn’t belong in this _world_.

 He had watched the entrance exams and met the students of Class 1-A, of course. A few of the students stood out to him. Bakugou Katsuki, with his explosion quirk, was bound to be powerful. His attitude, however, needed work. He lost his cool and rationale and was quick to let his anger lead him. _Reminds me of Leorio._

Then there was Midoriya Izuku. Another reckless one, but something about him made Killua’s heart ache. He was bright and genuine, and didn’t hesitate to jump into danger to help someone in need, even if it left him broken and inches away from death. And he was kind to everyone. _He’s so similar to Gon. Too similar._

And then there was the polar opposite, Todoroki Shouto. He didn’t see him at the entrance exams, which had confused him at first. He had later learned that that Todoroki had gotten in through recommendations. Endeavor’s son. If it had been anyone else, he was sure they would get along, but Killua decided to stay away. He would rather keep his encounter with the student’s father a secret. That led to another problem.

 Todoroki was cold and calculated, like himself. They were similar in a lot of ways. Another thing that worried him. One look at his eyes and Killua could tell that he saw everything. That was dangerous. He didn’t know the class well enough to tell them about his origins, Eraserhead and himself having dodged around their questions easily enough. Todoroki wasn’t entirely convinced, though. He was different. _He reminds me of Kurapika._

Killua had met the students a few times after school officially began, and they were mostly friendly and polite to each other, but there was an obvious divide there. He wasn’t in their class, or any class, for that matter. He would hang around when he caught word of anything interesting going on, but otherwise he was nowhere to be seen. Killua preferred it that way.

 Today was supposed to be interesting, however. Maybe even fun. He met with the students outside of the school before they were to head to a place called USJ, where they would apparently be training themselves in rescue situations. The Principal had called to see if he wanted to join them, explaining that rescue training was imperative if he ever decided to be a hero. The Principal had once again insisted that it would be good to get to know the students and make some friends.

 He didn’t want to make friends. Forming attachments, to Killua, meant that he was giving up on getting home.

 He wasn’t going to give up.

 He didn’t want to be too rude, however, so he exchanged pleasantries and small talk with them. Uraraka Ochako, the student that Midoriya had saved in the entrance exam, always went out of her way to greet him and be friendly. As did Eijiro Kirishima, in his own way. Otherwise, he kept to himself. He wasn’t the only one. Todoroki Shouto and Fumikage Tokoyami mostly kept to themselves, as well. For vastly different reason, Killua was certain.

 They boarded the bus, and before long they arrived at the USJ entrance. They were met outside by Thirteen, who Killua had already met once before. They didn’t show any obvious signs of recognition, of course. After some of the students gushed over the hero, Thirteen went on to lead them inside and explain the training course that they had designed, pointing to the different environments and disasters that they could simulate.

 What interested Killua, though, was the explanation Thirteen gave of their quirk. Black Hole, the ability to suck in and consume just about anything. Thirteen explained that the quirk could kill just as easily as it could save, and how control could be the difference between life or death.

_Finally, something interesting!_ Killua mused. He wasn’t trying to be disrespectful, but most of the things that they covered were just boring to him.

 It wouldn’t be boring for long, however.

 Introductions finished, Eraserhead pointed to the field. “Alright, first-”

 The lights flashed, then dimmed. The area seemed to grow darker, and Killua immediately knew something was wrong. Eraserhead, he noted, could feel it as well. Darkness began to swirl in the middle of the field, and a dark rift opened in the air. Moments later, a man with hands all over his body poked his head through the portal. The portal widened, and dozens of people stepped through.

 “Everyone, gather round and don’t move!” Eraserhead demanded.

 Everyone froze, unsure of what was happening. Eraserhead, or Aizawa, put on his goggles and Killua could tell he was preparing for a fight.

 “Those are villains,” Eraserhead stated darkly.

 Surprised gasps came from the group of students.

 “What? Villains?” Somebody demanded.

 “Sensei, what about the trespasser sensors?” Momo Yaoyorozu asked in concern.

 “We have them, of course,” Thirteen responded, “But..”

 Todoroki cut in, “Either way, if the sensors aren’t responding, they must have someone with a Quirk that can interfere with them. This must be a carefully planned attack with some sort of goal.”

_No, he doesn’t miss much at all, does he?_ Killua noted.

 “Thirteen, start evacuating the students. Everyone, try contacting the school. Use your quirks if it will help.” Aizawa calmly ordered, before leaping off of the stairs to engage the villains.

 Their attempts to communicate with the outside didn’t work, of course. The villains had planned this out well. Killua took a moment to study Eraserhead’s fight. As he had guessed, the majority of the villains were amateurs, grunts brought in most likely for intimidation. And to deal with any students that got in the way. But what were they after? Eraserhead and Thirteen? Or the students?

 “I can’t get in contact with anyone outside!” Kaminari explained.

 The other students agreed. Someone was cutting them off.

 “Then we need to get out and send someone to get help!”

 “Iida should be the one to go. He’s probably the fastest in long distances.”

 Iida argued, of course, “No! I can’t leave you all here-”

 Killua cut in coldly, “This isn’t the time. You’re our best hope.”

 It was their best option, and everyone agreed with him. Iida reluctantly gave in and rushed to go, but as he moved towards the door, the villain who had opened the dark portal swirled around, cutting him off. The villain blocked their escape. “Hello, my name is Kurogiri. My job is to make sure you don't escape.”

 “Everyone, get behind me!” Thirteen called out.

 The students scrambled behind, and Thirteen activated their quirk as a finger opened up in their suit. Kurogiri began to be pulled in, but at the last second moved to open up behind Thirteen, and everyone watched in horror as Kurogiri turned Thirteen's own quirk against them.

_This is a dangerous one,_ Killua thought. As Thirteen fell to the ground, the students began to panic. Killua struggled to think. What weakness could this villain have? He must have a body, right? He had to-

 “Wait!” Midoriya suddenly called out. He ushered Todoroki Bakugou and Iida over to him and they began to speak in hushed whispers. Soon, they nodded to each other in some sort of agreement and prepared themselves.

 They all made a run for the door, but the villain easily swept in to cut them off. Killua wasn’t sure what their plan was, but-

__“There!”__  Killua spotted a glint of metal in the darkness.

 At that moment, Bakugou and Todoroki darted forward, blasting that metal with their quirks. Kurogiri faltered, and Iida took the opportunity to pry the doors open and escape.

 “Smart.” Killua observed. Midoriya just smiled, and Bakugou grinned wickedly.

 “Yes,” Kurogiri said. “But I have more than one job here.”

 The portal began to collapse, and Killua dashed out of the way. “Move!” He yelled, but it was too late. Kurogiri disappeared, and most of the students with him.

 Killua cursed, looking around frantically. Only a handful of students remained, and Thirteen was out of the fight. Possibly dead. He looked around at the students, “Stay here! Protect the entrance if you can!”

 “Where are you going?” One of the remaining students asked.

 “To help Eraserhead.” Killua stated coolly. And he was gone.

 Killua spotted the Kurogiri over by Shigaraki _ _. So, he must not have taken them far.__ He assumed that the students had been separated inside the giant dome. It was a solid plan, he admitted. He also assumed that other villains had been placed around to take advantage of the confusion.

 He couldn’t do much about that right now. Eraserhead had a good handle on the more minor villains, but three of them stood out to him. Kurogiri, Shigaraki, and the massive thing with a bird’s beak and an exposed brain. Those were the real threat.

 He found his way to Eraserhead, easily knocking a couple of the minor villains out of the way. Staying alert, he spoke hurriedly, “Kurogiri separated the students somehow. They’re probably still in here somewhere.”

 Eraserhead didn’t take his attention off the battle, “Stay by the entrance, it’s too-”

 Killua interrupted him coldly, “No. Everyone is in danger either way. I’m helping. I can take out the minor villains so you can focus on the more dangerous ones.”

 Eraserhead reluctantly nodded, “Be careful.”

 Killua had no humor in his voice this time, “Always.”

 He allowed himself to let go, but he wouldn’t kill anyone if he didn’t have to. He didn’t want to reveal too much of himself to either the villains or the students. If the students could make it back on their own. A lot of them had talent, and had the advantage of the villain’s not knowing their quirks. Hopefully.

 Killua pushed them to the back of his mind. He would help them, if he had the opportunity, but the students would need somewhere to fall back to. As far as he knew, there was only one way in and out of here, and that’s where these villains were concentrated. He would help Eraserhead to hold this ground. No matter what.

 Eraserhead wasn’t looking good. At some point, the hand villain had gotten close to him and damaged his elbow. Killua quickly noted the injury. The skin around the wound looked as if it had cracked, and the muscles and tendons were showing. __I can’t tell what his quirk is, but it seems to activate by touch. That’s enough.__

Killua dashed from villain to villain, his movements a blur. He couldn’t afford to worry about holding back. If he accidentally killed any, so be it. He took one out with a chop to the neck, dropping them quickly. Another he sent across the ground with a hard kick to the head. Another still with a chop to the throat and a punch to the sternum.

 There weren’t many left, so he picked up the pace. The villains couldn’t keep up with his movements, much less counter them. He bounced between the remaining villains with ease, dispatching them in short time. __It’s like the Hunter Exam all over again.__ He remarked to himself.

 After what couldn’t have been more than a minute, he stopped to scan his surroundings. All of the minor villains had been dispatched, and he found himself and Eraserhead facing down the three most dangerous ones. Shigaraki Tomura was scratching his neck in frustration.

 “Hey… Who’s this NPC? Why isn’t All-Might here? He was supposed to be here. The plan…” He grated, his neck scratching becoming more intense as he grew more frustrated.

 “Shigaraki…” Kurogiri began.

 “I wonder.. I wonder if some dead kids will lure him out?” Shigaraki wondered aloud.

_You would stoop to that level._ Killua had heard enough. He prepared himself before slowly walking forward, settling his pace into a specific rhythm. _. I can’t just charge in head first one-to-three. These villains are different. I’ll have to show one of the tricks up my sleeve._ He matched his rhythm perfectly, and in moments his image started to blur. His form split into five different images, all walking forward in perfect tandem.

 “Huh..? What’s this?” Shigaraki demanded. “Well.. no matter. You can’t contend with my Nomu! Who was made to beat even All-Might!”

_So, that’s what that is,_ Killua observed. _They did all this because they want to kill All-Might._

 Killua continued forward, accompanied by his after images. They wouldn’t know which one was the real him, allowing him an element of surprise even attacking from the front. He closed a little more distance, before dashing forward quickly, right towards Shigaraki.

 “Nomu.” Shigaraki called, and in a blur, the Nomu had moved in front of Shigaraki to block Killua’s attack. __It’s fast!__  Killua stopped short, leaping backwards to find a different opening.

 At that moment, a mass of water exploded upwards from the lake, and Killua caught a glimpse of Tsuyu Asui carrying Midoriya through the air towards the shore nearby. Killua took advantage of the momentary distraction, quickly dashing under the Nomu’s legs. He cleared the legs and kicked upwards into Shigaraki’s jaw, before dashing quickly to the side to gain distance. He felt the air shift past him as he narrowly avoided the Nomu’s grasp.

 Shigaraki recovered quickly, chucking darkly. “You should realize, kid, that I’m not the final boss here. Nomu.”

The Nomu exploded forward.

 Right past Killua.

 Killua turned to see that the Nomu had grabbed Eraserhead. All too fast, the Nomu whipped Eraserhead into the air before smashing him into the ground, face-first. _No.._

While he was distracted, Shigaraki dashed towards Killua, attempting to close the distance. Killua cursed, jumping backwards to avoid the villain’s grasp. But he wasn’t prepared, and he found himself off-balance. Before the villain could reach him, however, a wall of ice cut through the space between them, cutting him off.

 Killua glanced over to find Todoroki not far away, ice expanding across the ground from his foot. They met eyes and Todoroki nodded in acknowledgement. Killua turned his attention to the Nomu, who had grabbed Eraserhead’s arm and twisted it. He dashed forward, winding up a kick aimed at the Nomu’s side.

 “ _ _Smash!__ ” At the same time as Killua’s kick landed, a fist connected with the Nomu’s head.

 Midoriya. _His arm is destroyed. He didn’t hold back on that._

 The Nomu didn’t budge, at first. It cocked it’s head before letting go of Eraserhead. In a blur, it had snatched Midoriya by the arm, holding him up in the air as Midoriya’s face twisted in pain.

 “Shock absorption,” Shigaraki declared menacingly. “Enhanced strength and speed. The perfect weapon to defeat All-Might! How do you kids think to fight it? Nomu, kill the kid.”

 Killua snapped. Eraserhead was out of commission. Or worse, and the Nomu was about to kill Midoriya. He didn’t know what kind of damage he could do, but it had to have a weakness. It was time to let go.

 He flipped the switch, and his darker instincts took over.

 His expression went cold, his eyes shadowed and opened wide. Crazed. Malice flooded from him. In a flash, he was in the air directly above the Nomu. He sharpened his fingers and stabbed downward.

 Right into the Nomu’s exposed brain.

 The Nomu screamed, dropping Midoriya. As Midoriya fell, a ramp of ice formed below him. The fall turned into a slide, and in moments he was laying in the ground behind Todoroki. Killua landed gracefully, before shooting forward again.In a flash, he had cut the Nomu’s hamstrings and slashed through it’s spine at the base of the skull.

 The Nomu dropped to it’s knees, and Killua turned his maddened glare on Shigaraki. The man froze for a moment, before beginning to cackle maniacally. “Did I forget to mention the regeneration quirk?”

 Killua whipped his head around, but it was too late. The Nomu’s fist connected with his side, and he was sent flying across the ground. His focus broke, and he was forced back to his normal state of mind. He checked himself over quickly. It hurt, but it didn’t seem like anything was broken.

 He stood shakily, taking a moment to recover himself. Before now, he didn’t know anyone could have more than one quirk, but this Nomu appeared to have at least four. _What’s going on here? That thing isn’t even a person. It doesn’t speak, and doesn’t even appear to think for itself._

Todoroki had hurriedly frozen the Nomu in place, and Bakugou was attempting to do damage to it with his explosions. Kurogiri, however, was running interference by opening up portals in the path of their attacks.

_Portals._ He connected the dots. _Maybe… But now isn’t the time. And he’s a villain._ He forced himself to let the thought go. Things weren’t looking good. He had to think of something.

 He looked to the entrance while he wracked his brain frantically. Almost all of the students were back now, and all but the strongest were gathered at the entrance. At some point, someone had moved Eraserhead out of the fight to keep him safe. Only Bakugou, Todoroki, and Midoriya were still on the field. And Midoriya was in no condition to fight.

 He scrambled. The Nomu appeared to be the perfect villain. He was inhumanly powerful, and fast. It had shock absorption, which meant that blunt attacks were powerless. Any wounds inflicted could be regenerated quickly anyways. Could he do enough damage to kill it before it regenerated? He wasn’t sure.

 He had to try something. He was fast, but could he be fast enough to distract it until help arrived? All while staying out of it’s reach? He had his _ _Nen__ and _ _Hatsu__ , would the lightning stun it? He would have to try it.

 He focused and brought forth his __Ten,__ quickly transmuting the energy into electricity. It flared to life, crackling around him. The battle stopped as the burst of electricity lit up around him, and he flashed forward. He hit the Nomu with a palm, pulsing electricity through it and into the Nomu. It screamed and convulsed for a moment, stunned.

_It worked. It won’t do much damage, but I can keep it busy for now._ He was beside Todoroki in a flash, “Todoroki, can you keep the other two villains out of the fight? I’ll keep this one stunned as much as I can. We just need to distract them until Iida gets back with help.”

 Todoroki considered for a moment before nodding quickly and running off, sending a wave of ice at the other villains. Kurogiri would pose an issue, since Killua didn’t know of any way to stop him from using his quirk, but he had a feeling that the villain would be more worried about protecting Shigaraki.

 The air shook as an explosion rang out from the entrance. The door blasted open, and in a moment a figure strode through as the dust settled.

 All-Might was there.

 And he wasn’t smiling.


	7. Unforseen Part 2

“It’s fine now,” All-Might growled, “I am here!”

 Relieved gasps and sobs resounded from the students as All-Might ripped his tie from his neck.

 “Ah, we’ve been waiting, hero!” Shigaraki exclaimed excitedly.

 All-Might was on the field in a flash, staring down the villains. Midoriya scrambled up to him, “All-Might, b-be careful! That Nomu is super strong, and fast, and he can regenerate, and he has shock absorption, and-”

 All-Might held up a hand, “Everyone get to the entrance. I will handle this.”

 Midoriya hesitated, but All-Might’s tone left no room for argument, so he backed away after giving a defeated nod.

 Killua’s heart throbbed, and he walked up to Midoriya reluctantly, “Midoriya, you’ve done great, but you’re hurt. Let All-Might take care of things. He’ll be fine.” He flashed a grin, “I’ll make sure of it.”

 Midorya’s eyes widened brightly, and he gave a small nod. “Yeah… It’s All-Might. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

 Killua nodded, “He knows what the Nomu can do now. They lost the element of surprise.”

 Midoriya nodded again, this time grinning widely.

 Killua turned away before he frowned _, I swear he could be Gon’s brother._ He shook it off, walked back up to All-Might. “I know you want to do this alone, but I’ll be close if anything happens.”

 All-Might nodded curtly, “That won’t be necessary.”

 Killua shrugged, “Sure.” And moved to wait nearby to observe. Closely.

 All-Might charged forward to engage the Nomu, his movements almost too fast for Killua to follow. Almost. The met head-on, alternating between exchanging blows and clenching. At first glance, the fight looked as if it was a stalemate, neither fighter gaining any ground over the other.

 Killua knew better. All-Might was pacing himself, holding back slightly. He didn’t want to wear himself out too quickly against an opponent that could recover so quickly. It’s better to wear them down and wait for an opening to go all out so you can finish them at once. _A good plan, but how can you execute it?_

Soon, Todoroki joined him, stepping up next to Killua to observe. He was quiet, but Killua could feel the student glancing over at him. Studying him. Bakugou, as well, wasn’t far away. The three of them were waiting, and Killua found himself watching the other two villains as the battle continued, ready to intercept them if they tried to interfere.

 “If they try to interfere…” Killua began.

 “We won’t let them.” Todoroki finished.

 Killua brought his attention back to the fight. All-Might was losing ground, and he was bleeding. Whatever his plan was, it didn’t seem to be working. He began to worry, and prepared himself to step in.

 Shigaraki laughed menacingly, “I said it already! Shock absorption! You’re wasting your time--”

 All-Might interrupted him, “You said shock absorption, not shock nullification. That means there’s a limit.”

 Killua started, the gears clicking in his head. _That’s it! If he can do enough damage to overwhelm the absorption…_

 An idea clicked in his head. “Todoroki, Bakugou.”

 Both looked at him expectantly. “Can you stop the other two villains from interfering? On my go.”

 They were confused, but nodded anyways. They were ready.

 “Go!”

 Lightning flared to life around Killua and he leapt in the air. At the same time, Todoroki went sliding on a path of ice in an arc around the ongoing battle. Bakugou, from the other side, flew forward propelled by his explosions.

 Shigaraki braced himself to defend, but Kurogiri cast his form in front of the villain to protect him from the oncoming attack.

_Checkmate, you weren’t the target._ Killua grinned as he flipped in the air above the Nomu. “All-Might, cover your eyes!” He saw the man bring his arm up to block his vision. _“Thunderbolt!”_

The lightning crashed down on the Nomu, a thunderous crack rippling through the air. All-Might brought his arm down to look, seeing the Nomu stunned in place. Grinning, he charged forward to engage. Punches landed as the Nomu struggled to move, the force of them sending shockwaves through the air. Killua found himself pushed back, and he noticed the same of everyone else. Not even Kurogiri could warp himself in to interfere.

_I hope that’s enough, All-Might._ Killua braced himself against the ground to prevent himself from being pushed back any further, but he couldn’t move forward at all. All he could do was watch.

 All-Might’s punches grew stronger and faster, the flurry of blows he was unleashing nothing more than a blur to Killua. The hero was bleeding profusely, but his grin was wide as he unleashed more strength. Soon enough, the Nomu began to falter and be pushed back, his shock absorption beginning to become overwhelmed.

 All-Might unleashed an uppercut into the Nomu’s stomach, sending it flying into the air. All-Might launched into the air, landing a two-handed smash into the Nomu’s back as it was still rising in the air. The Nomu smashed into the ground, but had no time to recover as All-Might landed another smash into it’s back. As it bounced off the ground, All-Might pulled his fist back.

 “Hey, Villain.. Have you ever heard these words?”

 His fist seemed to be on fire as it radiated power.

 “Plus Ultra!”

 He smashed his fist into the Nomu’s stomach, and the air exploded. The Nomu was sent rocketing into the air, smashing through the roof and disappearing into the sky.

 All-Might returned his stance to normal, but he was bleeding and breathing heavily. Midoriya rushed over, but the fight wasn’t over yet. Killua caught sight of Shigaraki dashing forward, as Kurogiri tried to stop him, “Shigaraki-”

 “The final boss is right. _Here!_ ” He reached out a hand.

 Killua flipped his switch and was there in an instant. He broke the villain’s wrist with a flick of the hands and spun, sending the villain flying backwards with a kick to the midsection. He let his bloodlust radiate outwards freely. He didn’t care anymore. That they would stoop to this level-

 Shots rang out through the air.

 Shigaraki’s knees bursted with blood, then his shoulders. As he dropped to the ground, Kurogiri swept him to protect him. He turned his glare to the warp-user, and Killua's voice was cold and emotionless as he spoke.

 “I’ll see you soon.”

 Then the two villain’s were gone.

 Killua turned as a wall of cement formed out of the ground, cutting them off from the rest of the heroes and students. He whipped his head towards it’s source: A blocky, cement-gray man. _I didn’t notice a villain like this before. No matter._ He moved to dash forward.

 A hand grabbed his leg, “Killua, no!” Midoriya and the deflated man that was supposed to be All-Might yelled at the same time, their voices harsh with urgency.

 He stopped, noting the look of utter fear on the the cement-man’s face. Midoriya hurried to clarify, “That’s Cementoss! He’s a hero! It’s okay. It’s over.”

 Killua heaved out a breath as his bloodlust faded, the tension releasing from him instantly. He took a few breaths, relaxing. As the adrenaline faded, he studied All-Might. The man noticed, and held his mouth open to speak. “Killua…”

 Midoriya looked between them with a panicked look. _What’s going on here?_

All-Might cleared his throat and sighed, patting Midoriya on the head fondly, “It’s okay, Midoriya.” All-Might turned to Killua, “This is.. my true form. My quirk, it takes a lot out of me. I can’t hold the muscle form for as long anymore. After,” He looked down at his bleeding side, “An injury.”

 Killua looked between them, putting the pieces together in his head. He could tell there was a lot more to it, but now was definitely not the time to press for information. It really wasn’t any of his business anyways. “Okay.”

 They stared at him, as if waiting for him to say more.

 He cocked his head, “What?”

 All-Might cleared his throat again, “Killua.. my position as the Symbol of Peace.. if it were to get out..”

_A secret, then._ Killua nodded coolly, “Secret. Got it.” He glanced at Midoriya for a moment, then shrugged and looked back to All-Might. “I’m no stranger to secrets. Yours is safe with me. I owe you that much.”

 All-Might nodded gratefully, “Thank you, Killua..”

 Killua merely nodded as heroes came to take care of the injured Midoriya and All-Might. He left, leaping over the cement wall to join the other students and teachers. He felt a number of stares. Both on his back and in front of him.

 Speaking of secrets, Killua was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

 


	8. Departures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short one to kind of bridge into a mini-arc of my own. Throwing Killua into canon events is cool and definitely going to keep happening, but I want to have some fun.
> 
> I'll take a small order of angst with an oof on the side.

Killua, with his hands casually in his pockets, slowly walked back towards the door of USJ. What was left of it. He idly took note of the police carting away dozens of villains that had been left behind when Kurogiri and Shigaraki fled. Clearly, the connection between those villains and these ones was tenuous at best. He watched as the heroes helped to calm down the more panicked students, and was relieved to find out that everyone made it back okay.

 They talked about how the places they ended up when they got separated didn’t make any sense considering their quirks. They all quickly agreed with the conclusion that the villains had no knowledge of the students’ quirks beforehand. _It makes sense. That information would be a lot harder to get._ But how did they know that the students would be there in the first place? And why did they think that All-Might would be there?

Killua couldn’t focus on that. His mind kept drifting back to Kurogiri. The villain could open up portals and travel through them. How extensive was that quirk? Could Killua use him to get home, somehow? The man was a villain, of course, but Killua could work with that. Perhaps he could threaten them, somehow, or make them a deal…

 He shook his head as he moved to lean against the wall to the side of the doorway. He felt curious glances, even some concerned ones, as he passed. He ignored them. The students would need time to digest everything that happened. For most of them, this was their first time encountering villains. To have to fight them, as well, must be a shock.

 It wasn’t for Killua.

 His thoughts moved back to Kurogiri. Up until now, they had almost scoured every quirk record that UA could find, and had come up with nothing. Then today, a villain shows up that can open portals. He needed to find out more, which meant Killua needed to find the man. He had a feeling that wouldn’t be easy.

 He could threaten them. That would be the easiest way, but it wouldn’t sit well with the villains. All Kurogiri would have to do is send him to the wrong place, and Killua wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. That was too risky, unless he could take a hostage with him. Also risky. Kurogiri could still send them to the wrong place and come back for the hostage later. Unless Killua killed them…

 He also couldn’t think that they would work with him willingly. Most of the deals he thought they would make would lead to innocent people getting hurt. As much as Killua wanted to get home…

__What would Gon think if I came back and said I lead innocent people to their death just to get there?__ He could keep it a secret, of course, but he didn’t want to lie to his best friend about something like that. Gon had overlooked a lot of the horrible things that Killua had done. He didn’t want to add more and push his luck.

 He sighed, deciding to figure it out later. First, he had to find the villains hideout. That would be no easy task alone. And he knew he would be doing it alone. This was his problem, and he didn’t want anyone to interfere and ruin his chances.

 Footstep alerted him, and he looked up to see Uraraka, Kirishima and a recently recovered Kaminari approaching him. He looked up expectantly, waiting for them to speak.

 Uraraka smiled and spoke hesitantly, “I just wanted to thank you, Killua… for helping Aizawa-sensei and everyone.”

 Kaminari added in cheerfully, “Yeah! I didn’t know you had a lightning quirk, too! That’s awesome!”

 Kirishima threw a first in the air excitedly, “Yeah! The way you fought was so manly!”

 Killua couldn’t help but blush, and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, “Uh.. thanks. I’m glad you all made it back okay.”

 Uraraka seemed to become more somber, “We talked to Detective Tsukauchi. He said that Aizawa-sensei is in critical condition, but he should recover fully with Recovery-Girl’s help. Midoriya should recover as well, and All-Might of course will be fine.”

 Killua sighed, letting go some of his tension. Eraserhead didn’t look good before he got taken to safety. Killua had liked the man well enough, and he was skilled. That Nomu was just on a completely different level. He gave a relieved smile, “I’m glad. Thanks for letting me know.”

 The three of them shared a look, as if they had something they all wanted to say. Uraraka opened her mouth to speak, but Detective Tsukauchi saved the day as he walked up and waved to him. “Killua, a moment?”

 Killua nodded, and gave the students an apologetic look, “Sorry. Excuse me.”

 He slid past them to meet Tsukauchi. The man had a notepad in hand, “Are you okay, Killua? Any injuries?”

 Killua shook his head, “Just a little bruising from when the Nomu hit me. It’s nothing.”

 It was a bit worse than that, as the pains he sometimes got when he took too deep of a breath indicated, but he didn’t want it looked at. Especially not in front of people.

 The Detective’s eyes widened a little, and he gave Killua a skeptical look. “Killua…”

_Oh, right… How did I forget? Sloppy._ He gave the Detective a pointed look, “I’ll be fine.”

 Tsukauchi sighed as he let it go, “Well, would you mind telling me what happened from your perspective?”

 Killua nodded, collecting himself. Unfortunately, there were some parts he would have to leave out. He regretted omitting things from his report, but without knowing who else knew about All-Might’s condition he had to be careful. He launched into his highly detailed explanation, a result of his previous life. His father had required him to report every detail after he completed a job, and sometimes his brother would shadow him to make sure he didn’t lie or miss anything.

 The detective kept a carefully neutral expression on his face throughout the explanation, but his eyes betrayed him at times. A hint of shock at points, a flash of anger at others. Killua couldn’t help but respect the man’s control, however. He knew from experience how much the man cared about people.

 When he got to the point where Cementoss cut them off from everyone’s view, he blamed his bloodlust. He knew all too well the effects that the aura can have on people, having been on the receiving end enough times. For the young and inexperienced, it would be terrifying. For everyone, actually. That was the point.

 He felt eyes on him throughout the report, and he just knew that Todoroki was eavesdropping. There was nothing to be done about it. It would just be more suspicious to try pulling the detective away for a more private report, and he wouldn’t leave out more than absolutely necessary. Nothing he did now would change anything. He would either have to tell them or leave altogether.

 “Are you alright, Killua?” Tsukauchi’s concerned voice pulled him from his own thoughts.

 Killua nodded lightly, but he lowered his voice so nobody could overhear. “I showed too much of what I can do. The students are started to wonder.”

 Tsukauchi nodded solemnly, “I’m afraid they aren’t the only ones that saw too much.”

 Killua caught the implication. The villains. “Yeah, about them…”

 Tsukauchi’s eyes tightened in alarm, “What?”

 Killua looked around before speaking softly, “Kurogiri. The one that can open portals.”

 Tsukauchi got a distant look as he put the pieces together. When they did, his eyes widened.

 Killua looked him in the eyes, “Will you tell me if any of the villains give up their base?”

 Tsukauchi shook his head regretfully, “You know I can’t do that.”

 Killua expected that. “I’ll find them one way or another.”

 Tsukauchi’s eyes grew concerned, “Killua…”

 Killua shook his head, “I know it’s dangerous, but it might be my only chance.”

 Tsukauchi sighed, “Just.. promise me you won’t go looking for them yet? Let us try to figure something out first?”

 Killua shook his head as he reached into his pocket. He brought out a phone. “I can’t promise that. I’m sorry.”

 He handed Tsukauchi the phone and walked away.

 As Killua walked, his mood grew darker. This was necessary. He wouldn’t allow any chances that things could go wrong. And unfortunately, the police and the heroes would be a liability to his plans. He had to do this alone. The phone the detective had given him was a police phone, so he had to assume that it could be tracked. They might look for him. And if anything went wrong, he didn’t want the villains to be able to trace him back to the police.

 He may have to pretend to want to become a villain in order to get what he wanted.

 That was just one of his potential plans, but it was a possibility. He was strong, and they had seen his bloodlust. They would have recognized his darker tendencies. If they still had goals like the one they went after today, they would be looking for strong people to join their ranks. Killua just had to hope that their goals outweighed their hatred of him for interrupting their plans today.

 The students had started moving towards the bus to head back to UA, but Killua didn’t join them. He heard someone call his name. He turned to see Todoroki walking towards him.

 Todoroki was silent for a moment before he sighed and stated quietly, “They’ve been asking about you.”

 Killua’s face betrayed nothing, “What do they ask?”

 Todoroki sighed, “Why you aren’t in our class, but you’re around a lot. Aizawa-sensei always changes the subject. And now, they’re wondering how someone our age is so comfortable fighting villains.” He paused before continuing quietly, “Some of them are.. scared of you.”

 Killua had heard enough. He began walking the opposite way of the bus.

 “Where are you going?” Todoroki asked as he walked away.

 Killua didn’t stop walking, “I’m not in your class.”

 Nobody tried to stop him.


	9. Coincidences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *insert evil grin here*

_Five days later_

__

“We’ve tried getting information from the Nomu, Toshinori, but it doesn’t respond. It doesn’t move, it doesn’t speak. Nothing we’ve done has gotten any reaction from it. It appears to be mindless.”

 Yagi Toshinori nodded as his friend Naomasa relayed the information. The information was troubling indeed, but it was only bound to get worse.

 “Also, DNA tests have indicated that the Nomu has the DNA of at least four different people. It’s strength and speed could be boiled down to attributes of the experiments, but the creature has multiple quirks. It may be that those quirks were carried over from the DNA of those people.” Naomasa paused, giving his friend a meaningful look, “It.. may also be a possibility that those quirks were given to the creature.”

 Toshinori’s blood ran cold. There was only person he knew of who could give quirks to people. His voice was dark, tinged with fear. “All for One.”

 Naomasa blanched as he nodded, “That would explain the motives of this League of Villains. It would make sense for this Shigaraki Tomura to have a mentor pulling the strings, considering the villain’s attitude.”

 Toshinori nodded numbly. “Unfortunately. It appears there are dark times ahead.” Naomasa nodded solemnly as Toshinori continued. “I’ve been left with even less time, once again. I don’t know how much time I have left. The timing of this is too convenient.”

 They sat in silence for a time, before Naomasa cleared his throat. “Also, there’s still been no sign of Killua anywhere since he left. I believe he was leaving to track down the villains. He hasn’t been in contact with anyone, and he hasn’t been seen by any of the students or heroes.”

 Toshinori sighed sadly, “He could be delivering himself right to All for One. If anyone would know of a quirk that could help the boy, it would be him. He could hold that knowledge over the boy’s head to persuade him to join them. Considering Killua’s dark past, If that happens…”

 Naomasa nodded grimly. No words were needed for Naomasa to understand the gravity of the situation.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

_Meanwhile, somewhere else in the city._

 

Killua was restless. By night, he had leapt through the city silently and unseen, scoping out likely locations where he believed the villains would be hiding out. Unfortunately, with so many villains being arrested after the incident at USJ, they were bound to be being lying low as they recruited and bolstered their numbers.

 By day, he disguised himself and strolled the streets like any normal citizen. Except that he exclusively sought out the rougher parts of the city. Particularly the areas that appeared to be abandoned and less traveled. He had checked out the neighborhood that Eraserhead often patrolled, but had dismissed it quickly. It was a rough area, but that wasn’t what he was looking for. It was too busy.

 Killua hadn’t had time to integrate himself into any sort of underground in the city. That was dangerous territory to tread. There were too many underground cultures. Gangs and mafias were standard, but operated differently. They covered most business within their ranks. Some other groups, however, made places for themselves independent of those groups. They usually specialized in one specific area and those groups would go to them when they needed more dependable results.

 The Zoldyck family had been one of those groups. Assassins as dependable as his family were highly sought after, and the amount of money that people were willing to pay for their service was astronomical. The problem with that is that it had taken his family generations to build up their reputation.

 Killua had no intention of taking even months to build up a reputation.

 He had narrowed down his options to the best ones that he was willing to go with. His first was to seek out the villains and approach them himself, which was his Plan A. He had followed and eliminated a few leads already and felt as if he was getting close. From there, he would read the situation to decide how to go about getting what he wanted.

 If all else failed, it was on to Plan B. Plan B was simple:

 Make a splash in the underground that the villains couldn’t ignore. Bring them to him.

 Killua’s options there were numerous, but he didn’t like any of them. All of these options required him to make himself known before finding the villains, and that would put a target on his back. He would also have to make it so that he could be found when the time came. Preferably on his own terms, but he knew that there were too many factors to consider. Once he was out in the open, anything could happen.

 He couldn’t afford to be caught unaware. He had one chance to get home and it all relied on getting a slippery villain to do what he wanted. If he even could. Killua knew all too well that one wrong move, one doubt in the villains mind, would send the villains deeper into hiding. Another reason that Killua had to cut himself off from everyone he knew in this world. Attachments and connections are a liability. Liabilities are mistakes. A Zoldyck didn’t make mistakes.

 Killua found himself slipping back into his old ways out of necessity. A part of him, a weaker part, warned that there was another way, that he didn’t have to resort to that, but that part was quickly shoved aside, buried deep in the recesses of his mind. Gon brought out that part of him, and Gon wasn’t here. Killua could kick himself for it when he got home.

 Night had begun to fall, so Killua disappeared from sight and changed back into his normal clothes, the only difference being a dark blue hoodie in place of his usual long-sleeve. He had found a cheap, temporary hair dye to turn his hair an unremarkable brown for his disguise, and it washed out easily. He wasn’t worried about being seen now. Unless he decided to be.

 He dashed and leaped across rooftops silently, heading towards one of his possible leads to observe. He used his _Zetsu_ to hide his aura, and his presence, as a precaution. _Nen_ wasn’t a factor in this world, but instincts were universal. All it would take is one bad feeling for a villain to abandon their route and head elsewhere.

 Killua had staked out a few warehouses on the first two nights, but he decided to write those off of his list. Warehouses were a common hideout for more minor villains, but there were just too many to watch. It would take too much time. If the rest of his leads left him with nothing, he would resort to Plan B.

 Killua crouched behind one of the ventilation ducts of an dirty building. The street that said building was on appeared normal, apart from a few that looked abandoned but it was far too quiet. That had piqued his curiosity. Any building on this street would be a perfect hideout for villains attempting to lay low. The problem Killua thought of, however, was that the group itself had no need to come and go through normal means.

 Kurogiri could just make a portal directly in and out of their hideout.

 Killua’s hope was that they _would_ be recruiting, and that Kurogiri wouldn’t be warping every potential recruit directly in and out of whatever meeting place they set up. He would identify and tail anyone that potentially had a connection to the League.

 Killua sat and waited silently. The silence that encompassed the street left an eerie feeling in the air, the only noise the sounds of a still-bustling city echoing in the distance. There was a suspicious lack of-

 The scent of smoke met his nose.

 It wasn’t the familiar scent that came from a fire. No. It was faint. Almost sweet. He had smelled something similar from various people around the city. _Cigarettes._ He began to scan around for signs of people that would stick out to him.

 Then he spotted what he was looking for. A man casually walking down the street, smoking a cigarette. He wore a light purple jacket, matching pants, and a white dress shirt. A beige scarf collected itself loosely around his neck. Tinted glasses sat on his nose, shading his eyes slightly. His medium-length, greyish hair fell loosely around his head. The main thing that Killua focused on, however, was the greasy smile the man wore.

 Killua watched the man and waited silently, not moving an inch. The man didn’t go far, however, before he disappeared into a building. Killua studied the building while he waited. A bar. _Odd. For a bar, it sure doesn’t seem busy. Or even open _for business.__ He continued waiting, watching to see if anyone else came or went from the bar.

 Before long, the man emerged from the entrance of the bar once again. After taking a quick look around, the man casually walked off in a different direction than he came. _He didn’t stay long enough to be having a drink. Five minutes at most._ Killua made a mental note of the direction the man had went. At that pace, Killua could catch up to the man in seconds.

 Killua made his decision quickly. If this was some sort of hideout, they would surely be monitoring the entrances at a minimum. But if the people he was after weren’t here, he could just disappear easily enough. And if they were…

 He leaped across the street into the alley next to the bar, landing lightly. He circled around the building quietly, inspecting it for signs that it was an active, legitimate business. At first glance, it appeared to be. But as he looked more closely, in the dumpster of all places, he noticed that there was only a small amount of garbage that looked new. The rest looked as if it had been there for long periods of time. Of course that could be explained by a lack of business--

 He felt the air shift behind him.

 “I hate to rudely interrupt your… dumpster diving, but I believe that I recognize you from somewhere.” The polite tone betrayed only the slightest hostility. The implication was clear.

 “Kurogiri.” Killua stated coolly.


	10. Invitations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Umm... yeah. I'll just leave this here.
> 
> Also: 23000 words in like 4 days. Halp.

“Kurogiri.” Killua stated coolly.

 Kurogiri’s response was formal and polite, “Ah.. Forgive me,” His tone was regretful, “but I don’t believe we’ve been formally acquainted.”

 Killua turned to face the large shadow, “Killua. Killua Zoldyck.”

 The shadow hummed, “Forgive me for beginning our acquaintance with such rudeness, but I must ask. What are you doing here, snooping around in this alleyway?”

 Killua’s expression was blank, his tone cold, “I did tell you I would see you soon, didn’t I?”

 Kurogiri hummed lightly, as if trying to remember. “Ah, yes, I do believe I remember hearing you say that. I must say, your.. tendencies.. left quite the impression.” The glowing eyes of the dark mist studied Killua, “That someone capable of being so dark would be a student at UA, in affiliation with heroes, is a surprise.”

 Killua scoffed coldly, “Tch. I’m not a student. My affiliation was one of necessity.”

 Kurogiri’s glowing eyes widened slightly in surprise at Killua’s tone, “Interesting… Perhaps we could continue this conversation somewhere more.. private?”

 Killua studied Kurogiri closely for a moment before nodding, “Sure. Anywhere in particular?”

 Kurogiri hummed in amusement, “A little late to play innocent, don’t you think? Allow me. I will take you directly inside.”

 Killua searched the eyes in the mist, looking for any sign of malevolence. Finding nothing, he shrugged and stepped forward.

 Directly into a bar. It was clean and bright, although empty aside from himself and a familiar man covered in hands. The man glared at him before Kurogiri reappeared on the other side of the bar. The mist pulled back after a moment, taking a shape that vaguely resembled a man. He was dressed formally, wearing a clean white shirt, striped gray tie, and a lighter gray vest. He also had metal plates around his neck. Killua vaguely noted that those must have been the plates that the students had attacked to buy Iida time to escape.

 “Kurogiri,” Shigaraki demanded in annoyance, “What is he doing here?”

 Kurogiri placed a hand on the counter, if Killua could call it that, and responded politely, “Forgive my presumption, but I believe Killua here had piqued your interest. He happened to be the one snooping around outside. He claims that he isn’t a UA student at all.”

 Shigaraki scratched his neck idly as he turned to consider Killua, “Student or not, you still helped the heroes thwart our plans. If you aren’t with the heroes, why where you there that day? Why did you help them?”

 Killua shrugged nonchalantly, his expression remaining cold. “They said they could help me.” He added a touch of disdain to his voice, “Turns out they couldn’t.”

 Shigaraki took a moment to study him, “I see. And you think that we could?”

 Killua kept his cold gaze on Shigaraki, “That’s what I came here to find out.”

 Kurogiri responded this time, “And what kind of help are you looking for?”

 Killua studied Kurogiri for a moment, “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

 “Tch, going to?” Shigaraki cut in before giving Killua a curious look. “How did you do that, anyways?”

 Killua gave him a carefully neutral look, “Do what?”

 Shigaraki scratched his neck, “The way you moved. The illusions. Those sharpened fingers. The lightning!” He glared at Killua wildly now, “That evil energy. That can’t be from just one quirk! Sensei claimed to know nothing--”

 “Tomura…” Kurogiri cut in with a warning tone.

 Killua didn’t react. He allowed the tension to stay in the air for a few moments. “I’ll tell you, but first I have one question for Kurogiri.”

 Shigaraki scratched his neck violently before growling at Killua, “You don’t get to make the demands around here!”

 Killua cocked his head, but his tone stayed controlled, “I’m proposing a trade. Information for information.”

 Shigaraki’s scratching began to slow, but he didn’t respond, so Kurogiri took over. “What is your question, Killua Zoldyck?”

 Killua looked him over, thinking of a way to phrase it so that he didn’t sound completely insane. “Your quirk. Have you ever used it to travel to a.. different world? A different dimension?”

 Shigaraki’s scratching stopped altogether as both villains turned to stare at him. Shigaraki barked a harsh laugh, “You __are__ crazy! What a waste of time! Let’s just kill him and-”

 Killua flipped, tapping into his assassin’s instincts. His glare turned cold and dark, and whether it was through illusion or another technique, the color seemed to drain from the room as it grew darker. Veins throbbed in Killua’s hands as his fingernails grew and became razor-sharp.

 Shigaraki and Kurogiri froze in terror as his bloodlust washed over them in waves.

 “Now, Tomura, is that any way to treat a guest?” A deep, calm voice interrupted, cutting through the thick tension in the room.

 At the same time, a TV against the wall flickered and lit up, and Killua could see a silhouette of a man on the screen. A square jawline and a strong chin were visible on the man’s imposing face. Above the man’s mouth, however, Killua could see only scar tissue. Shadows covered the man’s eyes and everything above them. He was dressed formally in a suit, but Killua saw tubes running out of the man’s neck and face.

 Killua pulled himself from his assassin-mode, and the air in the room returned to it’s previous state. Shigaraki and Kurogiri quickly recovered from their trance and turned to bow to the man on the screen. Shigaraki spoke in a shaky voice, “Sensei, I was just--”

 The man held up a hand to stop him, “It’s fine, Tomura. I would like to speak with him.”

 Killua took a step forward, keeping a cold expression as he glared warningly at the two villains in the room. Kurogiri stepped back, and Shigaraki reluctantly stepped out of the way, purposefully moving over to the side where Killua could still see him. Killua gave him an idle nod before addressing the man on the TV.

 The man spoke first, his tone calm and respectful. “You must forgive my subordinates, Killua Zoldyck. And myself, for eavesdropping. I must admit that Tomura’s theory had intrigued me. You could say that Quirk studies are one of my.. specialties. I dare say that if anyone were to be able to help you, it would be me. Now, if you would enlighten me on your situation…”

 Killua took a deep breath, but kept his expression blank and controlled. “The long version, or the short one?”

 “The long version, if you would.”

 Killua nodded, “I have to start by saying this, and I assure you that it’s the truth: I’m not from this world…” He couldn’t read the man’s face, but he felt the two villains in the room flinch in shock. He ignored it and continued, retelling his story from the very beginning. He went through his childhood and being raised as an assassin, lightly detailing the techniques he learned and the torture training he endured. He spoke of being abandoned at Heaven’s Arena when he was six, and of his first kill. He mentioned how he had lost count of how many people he had killed by the time he was eleven.

He spoke of how he had run away, this time saying that it was because he was tired of being controlled. He wanted to use his skills to carve his own path in life. He spoke of how he took the Hunter Exam for fun. He even mentioned that he had failed because his brother, Illumi, had forced him to kill one of the contestants.

 He left out Gon completely. He couldn’t bring himself to talk about his best friend in the presence of this group. He did speak of Greed Island, however, and the villains listened in wonder. As far as Killua knew, nothing like that had ever existed in this world. He briefly spoke of _Nen,_ explaining that some of his abilities were products of it. He told the man of his leaving the game to retake the Hunter Exam, hinting with a grin at how easily he had smashed the competition, and the malfunction when he tried to return that he had theorized as the reason that he ended up in this world.

 He spoke of waking up and fighting villains within minutes. He recalled his meeting with All-Might and the other heroes, and how they had promised to help him. He told of his meeting with Eraserhead and how since his abilities weren’t technically a quirk, Eraserhead couldn’t cancel them.

 He didn’t miss the way the man on the screen frowned when he mentioned that.

 He went on to talk about his fight alongside Eraserhead and Endeavor, briefly noting his dislike for the latter. He mentioned how he had killed the villain Black Mamba. Finally, he told of the events at USJ, and how Kurogiri had caught his interest, and the falling out he had with the students and heroes afterwards.

 The man on the screen sat in silence for a moment, absorbing the information, and Killua could see the man’s lip curl in disgust when he finally spoke. “It surprises me none to hear that the.. heroes.. could not help you. Their knowledge of quirks is pitiful and their records leave out many things.”

 Killua nodded in understanding, and his tone held disdain when he replied. “They held information back from me. I decided to find answers myself.”

 The man gave a small nod that may have been respect, “I applaud your resourcefulness. Not many have been able to find my subordinates without being brought here. Although with your.. past, I suppose I can’t be too surprised. I must say, your skills would be an indispensable asset to the League of Villains.”

 Killua actually blushed a little at the compliment, but didn’t respond. He waited for the man to continue.

 The man gave a small frown before responding, his tone calm but regretful. “We’ve explored Kurogiri’s quirk extensively. Unfortunately, his quirk is limited to places he knows, and places he can see. I don’t believe that would be any help to you.”

 Killua shook his head, dread beginning to coil in his stomach.

 The man shook his head slightly, “It pains me to say this, Killua, but I can say with absolute certainty that there is no quirk capable of what you are looking for. I’m sorry.”

 Killua felt as if his world had shattered. Somehow he knew the man wasn't lying to him. He was stuck here in this still unfamiliar world. He had pushed away everyone for this, and now he would never get home. He would never get to see Gon again. He was alone.

 He stood numbly, turning towards the door to leave.

 “Killua.” The man on the TV screen called out, his voice thick with practiced concern.

 Killua looked back blankly.

 The man continued, “I know it’s not what you want to hear right now, but if you ever decide to make this world your own.. There will always be a place for you here, if you wish it.”

 Killua nodded apathetically before turning to go. Shigaraki and Kurogiri made a move to stop him, but Sensei’s voice stopped them.

 “Let him go. He has enough to deal with right now.”


	11. Full Circle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short one, but... brace yourselves.

Killua ran until he couldn’t run anymore. At first, he ran before the villains could change their mind about letting him go. Then he ran to get away from the words that haunted him. He ran from himself. He ran from reality. The truth.

_“I can say with absolute certainty that there is no quirk capable of what you are looking for. I’m sorry.”_

 When Killua couldn’t run anymore, he slowed down to walk sluggishly down the street, far from the place where his world had ended. He didn’t know where he was going, nor did he care. He just kept walking, staring blankly at the ground in front of him as his mind floated aimlessly through his new reality.

 He had succeeded. Succeeded in getting the truth he didn’t want to hear. Every fiber of his being wanted to deny it, but Killua knew the truth when he heard it, and Sensei hadn’t lied.

 Neither of them did. Killua did run away from home because he was tired of being controlled. He did set out to carve a path of his own using his skills. He truly was satisfied when he passed the Hunter Exam so easily the second time around. He really couldn’t help but feel betrayed when Tsukauchi had said that he couldn’t give Killua the information he asked for. He actually felt embarrassed when Sensei had complimented his skills.

 Because Sensei had so graciously praised Killua for the same skills that he was falling victim to, and he didn’t even realize it.

_Sometimes the best way to deceive someone is to be genuine, for although you’re being genuine, it may not be for the reason they believe you to be._

 Killua didn’t notice the sun peeking over the horizon as he walked. He didn’t pay attention to which direction that he was walking, nor did he notice that at some point he had lost a shoe. He didn’t even notice the man watching him from a rooftop above. He didn’t care to. It didn’t matter.

 “Sensei” was smart, and extremely cunning. Dangerous. Killua could tell from the moment the man had shown himself. “Sensei” had postured spectacularly, planting seeds of doubt and cultivating what he saw as Killua’s growing hatred towards heroes, all with feigned compassion for his plight, promising a lost teenager with a dark past a place to belong in this unfamiliar world.

_Most powerful people have one major flaw: Confidence._

“Sensei” was so confident that Killua would return to his darker roots that he didn’t even try to use false promises to reel him in. The man probably thought that he had done Killua a favor. He probably thought that Killua would be back after he finally accepted his fate, eager to return to his comfort zone in the shadows. All because Killua told the man exactly what he wanted to hear.

_“...if you ever decide to make this world your own.. There will always be a place for you here, if you wish it.”_

 But Killua had never told him about Gon. He never told him about the good times, how good It had felt having someone he could call a friend. Someone who was genuinely a good person without ulterior motives. Someone who would help people without hesitation just because they felt it was right. People better than him. Killua didn’t tell the man that he had used his skills to help those people. He of course wouldn’t have mentioned that those were the times that he felt the most alive.

 Killua looked up as he finally noticed something, a shoe lying on the ground. His shoe. Picking it up, he looked down blankly at his foot as blood soaked through his sock. He looked up this time, catching a glimpse of a familiar figure leaping away between rooftops. He looked around, taking in his surroundings for the first time since he had started running, briefly remembering when he left this place with a pocket full of money, repeating promises that he would be fine on his own.

 He noticed as the doors flew open to reveal a familiar man in a beige trench coat, clutching a hat that matched, eyes wide and flooded with concern. He also noticed as the massive blonde man stepped up next to him, flashing a grin that was almost too bright to look at.

 He, of course, noticed that he would have to apologize for making the man’s coat wet.

 The moment he knew he was trapped here, Killua lost everything. But he didn’t forget them. He wouldn’t forget them. No matter how much it hurt.

_I’ll continue to protect the people that are better people than me, Gon. For you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I KNOW this sounds like an ending, but I promise you it's not!
> 
> Think of it as a... season finale, of sorts. 
> 
> Except the next season starts tomorrow. 
> 
> P.S. if you don't need tissues I'll eat a shoe. Or apologize for being a god-awful writer. You can decide.


	12. Returns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so tired.

Tsukauchi and All-Might had finally managed to get Killua to calm down enough to speak, and it appeared almost as if he was back to usual self. There was a glint of sadness in his eyes and a more withdrawn edge to his posture, but there was also an air of determination.

 Tsukauchi cleared his throat, “I know it should be obvious but, I take it you.. found them?”

 Killua nodded slowly, “Yeah..”

 They didn’t need words to know that Killua had found his answers. The pain in his eyes was testament enough to that. There was something else bothering the men, however. Killua may feel broken, but he had reeled himself in enough to notice the unspoken questions in the air. He watched the men expectantly, waiting for the questions that would inevitably come.

 All-Might studied him for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully. “Young Killua.. I hate to pressure you with questions so soon, but.. There’s something very important that we need to know.”

 Killua nodded for him to continue.

 All-Might cleared his throat, “Was there anyone else there, aside from the villains you were looking for? Someone especially…”

 “Dangerous?” Killua suggested.

 All-Might just nodded, his expression solemn.

 Killua nodded. He was ready as he would ever be. “Yeah. He went only by “Sensei”…”

 Killua told his story. All of it. He recalled every small detail, from his search through the city, to the man in the purple suit that unwillingly led him to the villain’s hideout. He spoke of his altercation with Shigaraki and Kurogiri, even how he had been ready to kill them, and the way that this Sensei had interrupted. He recalled what he knew of the man’s appearance, everything from the color of his suit to where the wires and tubes were placed. Where the man’s imposing features gave way to scar tissue.

 He relayed the conversation they had had, word for word including the man’s offer of a place to belong. Killua noted the man’s formality and politeness, and the darker underlying edge he had tried to conceal. Afterward, he explained the finer details to his impromptu plan; how he had manipulated the man by emphasizing the darker points of his life, either downplaying or omitting the brighter ones entirely. He spoke of the man’s sheer confidence in his own posturing, and the opportunities that the man hadn't even taken.

 Not that it would have mattered either way. Maybe this Sensei had known Killua would let himself go at the slightest hint that he was withholding information. Maybe he knew it would have backfired and brought Killua down on them like a knife in the dark. This Sensei was a smart man, after all.

 He finished his story, and for all the foreboding that came with it, All-Might couldn’t help but grin at this young man’s masterful maneuvering. To think that his ancient enemy had been led by the nose in his own game…

 Killua noted the man’s grin and allowed himself one of his own _ _._ It was pretty good, wasn’t it?_

Tsukauchi watched the exchange with an exasperated look on his face. He shook his head, “I swear..”

 All-Might felt his mirth fade, and the reality of the situation once again set in. “Young man.. I believe that I owe you an explanation. This wound that hinders me so… I received it five years ago. From the same man that you spoke to.. All for One…”

 All-Might told Killua the history behind All for One and One for All. He told of the reign All for One had initiated by taking quirks from people and giving them to people who were loyal to him, and how the man had maneuvered himself from being a beacon of hope to becoming an unstoppable tyrant. He ended his tale with their clash five years prior.

__That explains the man’s disappointment when I told him my abilities didn’t count as quirks.__ Killua remembered. He had been wondering about that.

 All-Might sighed, “I had thought.. or allowed myself to hope.. that he was dead. Somehow, that is not the case.”

 Killua remembered his promise, and the means by which he would fulfill that promise. The means by which he would help those that are better people than him. All for One may very well be the most powerful villain in the world, but he had one major advantage:

 Most of his enemies were good people.

 Killua couldn’t help his wicked grin, “Do you want him to be?”

 Tsukauchi and All-Might were taken aback. They could tell that Killua wasn’t joking, however. Not in the slightest.

 All-Might waved his hands frantically, “Killua.. I mean no offense, but I don’t think you understand.. All for One is the most powerful villain to ever exist! I couldn’t possibly ask a child to take on such a foe! This.. is a battle that I’ll have to finish myself.”

__Always trying to take everything on their shoulders alone.__ Killua stood up to go, shaking his head, but he smiled. “Just think about it, when the time comes. You... don’t have to do everything alone.”

 All-Might cocked his head, “You know, I could say the same thing to you.”

 Killua looked back, “You already have. I’m.. still thinking about it.”

 As he was about to leave, Tsukauchi called his name, “Killua!”

 Killua turned in time to snatch something out of the air. A phone. He cocked his head at Tsukauchi curiously.

 “You know.. just in case. You might notice a few new additions, by popular request.”

 Killua smiled, giving a wave as he closed the door behind him.

 He stared at the phone for a moment, before turning it on to look through it, curious. As he scrolled through the contacts, he noticed that there were a lot more names and phone numbers than before. He scrolled through them, noting that almost the entirety of Class 1-A was in there by name, as well as a few of the teachers.

 He grinned widely as he found Tsukauchi’s number and started a text.

 

________________________________________________________________

 

Detective Tsukauchi’s phone buzzed, and he turned it on to see a text from Killua. He opened it quickly, curiously, considering the boy had just left.

 

_Killua: Check your pockets._

__

Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow before patting himself down. Before long, he felt something in the inside of his jacket pocket. All-Might gave him a puzzled look as his friend pulled out a folded piece of paper.

 “What is it?” All-Might asked.

 Tsukauchi opened it and read it out loud:

_Below is the address to the League’s hideout. They’ve probably moved locations by now, but I figured it would be worth a shot. Be careful._

_-Killua_

 All-Might bellowed a laugh at the bewildered look on his friend’s face. Tsukauchi opened the text conversation to respond:

 

_Killua: Check your pockets._

_Tsukauchi: When did you…?_

_**...** _

_Killua: *devil emoji*_

All-Might laughed again as he read the message over Tsukauchi’s shoulder. Tsukauchi shook his head, but couldn’t hide the smile on his face or the warmth in his eyes.

 “I swear, you’re both going to give me grey hairs.”

 

__________________________________________________________________________________

 

 Killua checked the time, noting that it was still before noon. He leaped across the rooftops, not caring that it was broad daylight. He was beginning to grow tired. The events of the past day had exhausted him both mentally and physically. How long had it been since he slept?

 He pushed the feeling away as he bounded through the city. He still had a few more things to do. He wasn’t sure how it would go, considering how he had left almost a week ago, but it couldn’t hurt to try. He had nothing more to lose, after all, but everything to gain.

 They had said that everyone would make a full recovery after the USJ incident, and Killua had already seen that All-Might had. At least on the surface. He had never had a chance to check on everyone else, because he was too busy chasing his own problems. He smiled a little as he remembered Eraserhead. If he was following Killua around, that meant that he should be just fine. Maybe a little more tired than usual.

 Killua arrived at the gates of UA and was admitted quickly. He walked past some empty classrooms, indicated that the students were probably eating lunch. He wandered the halls for a while before he found the Teacher’s Lounge. He knocked on the door lightly and waited, before hearing permission to enter.

 Killua stepped in, noting that Present Mic, Midnight, Vlad King, Ectoplasm, and Cementoss were there. And Eraserhead, if the yellow blob of a sleeping bag in the corner was any indication. The teachers all turned to stare at him as if they had seen a ghost.

 He wave a small, nervous wave. “Uh… Hey. I’m back.”

 He was met with a flurry of questions and concerning look-overs. The barrage was too much for him to follow, so he just stood still to wait it out. The sheer sensory overload was enough to make his head spin. Thankfully someone noticed.

“Hey, hey, hey! Let the kid breathe.” Eraserhead’s irritated voice cut them all off.

 Killua rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as they all backed off with murmured apologies. They returned to their seats, and Vlad King beckoned Killua over.

 “Sorry for overwhelming you, Killua, but you had given us quite the scare! What happened to you?”

 Killua gave them a brief summary of his story, too tired to give a more detailed explanation. Too exhausted to trust himself to gloss over the details surrounding All for One. Something about his conversation with Tsukauchi and All-Might had told him that he should avoid it. For good reason.

 Instead he focused on Shigaraki and Kurogiri. He told them of his hunt through the city, his meeting with Kurogiri and the altercation afterwards, leading to the answers he had received, at which his voice took on a more somber tone.

 “In other words, there’s no way for me to get home.. I’m stuck here.” The finality of his words hit home, sending pangs through the heroes’ hearts. And his own. To know it is one thing, to say the words aloud is another altogether.

 The teachers shared their sympathies and condolences, which Killua accepted awkwardly. Aizawa seemed to sense his discomfort and cut in to change the subject.

 “If you don’t mind me asking, what brings you here today?” He asked. From him, it almost sounded gentle.

 Killua shrugged, “I haven’t spoken with anyone since USJ. I wanted to see how everyone was doing.” He turned to Cementoss, “And I wanted to apologize for the way I acted towards you. I was out of line.”

 Cemetoss’s blocky face showed a hint of surprise, and then he shook his head, “Think nothing of it, Killua. Our situation may very well have been much worse if it weren’t for your actions that day.”

 “Yes,” Eraserhead added, “Without your quick thinking, some of us might not have been here today. Thank you.”

 Killua gave a sigh of relief, “I’m just glad everyone made it out okay.”

 Eraserhead nodded, “However, the students…”

 Killua shot him a look in alarm.

 He held a hand up, “They’re fine, they’re fine. But, they wouldn’t stop asking about you. And… we assumed the worst.”

 Killua understood, “So you told them?”

 Eraserhead nodded, “I told them about you not being from.. here. And where you went that day. I apologize. But I thought--”

 Killua shook his head, “No, it’s fine. I was going to tell them today anyways.”

 Eraserhead sighed with relief, “Well, there’s still a few minutes left for the lunch period. Otherwise, feel free to visit them in class.”

 Killua nodded, “Okay. I think I’ll wait until class.” He looked to the rest of the teachers, “Glad to see you all again. See you around!”

 Killua closed the door on his way out and walked casually down the hallway. He decided to head wander outside while he waited for the students to leave lunch and rush to their next classes. He was too tired to deal with the crowded hallways right now.

 He headed out to the practice field to clear his mind a bit. He felt like he was swimming in a bottle of thoughts, and he needed a release before he burst. He worked through his usual stretching routine to release some of the tension in his body, then closed his eyes to focus. He had briefly learned of __En__  before he had come to this world, having had it used against him once or twice. _En_ utilized both _Ten_ and _Ren_  to expand one's aura outwards. The user could detect anything within that aura. He decided he would work on that.

 He focused his aura for a moment before activating his _Ren,_ flaring his aura outwards. Then, he used his _Ten_ to contain it, shaping it into a smooth circle around him. He pushed outwards slowly until he felt a strain, then opened an eye to check his progress. Roughly 20 meters. _Not bad, but I could go further._

 He took a deep breath and pushed outwards, extending it to 25 meters. Satisfied, he decided to hold it there for a while. He closed his eyes and concentrated for a few moments, before he felt movement.

 Killua released his aura and opened his eyes, looking up to see Ectoplasm standing nearby, watching him. He looked up expectantly.

 “I thought you were going to visit your class?”

__Your class?__ “I was, but they’re still in the cafeteria. I needed to clear my head.”

 Ectoplasm nodded solemnly. “Understood. I’m sure you have a lot on your mind.”

 Killua nodded, “Yeah.”

 Ectoplasm studied him for a moment, before walking by him towards the center of the field before stopping. He turned around, his eyes narrowing, making his permanent grin look menacing. “Well, how about it? Want to blow off some steam?”

 Killua grinned widely, “Sure. Don’t hold back.”

 Ectoplasm chuckled evilly. “Only If you don’t either.”


	13. Acceptance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, some fun! And a little bit of fluff!
> 
> Hopefully I didn't screw up the characters too much.

Ectoplasm chuckled evilly. “Only If you don’t either.”

 Killua flashed a grin before he disappeared.

 He was behind Ectoplasm in a flash, throwing a kick at the hero’s head. The man narrowly dodged before dashing away to gain distance. He reeled back and his throat bulged before he spat a greyish substance on the ground in front of him. The substance grew upwards, taking shape into.. five more Ectoplasms.

_So he can make clones of himself. Interesting. But how many?_  Killua stopped and walked forward in practiced rhythm, creating temporary images of himself to match. He couldn’t do damage with them, but it would stop Ectoplasm from attacking him with all five clones at the same time.

 Killua dashed forward, his clones doing the same in perfect tandem. Five clones against five images. As Ectoplasm’s clones moved to counter, the real Killua dodged and struck fast, kicking hard into the side of the clone he was facing. The kick broke through the clone, causing it to dissipate. Killua landed smoothly, spinning with the movement until he planted his foot to dash at the next. That one fell with a punch to the sternum and a chop to the neck before Killua had to leap out of the way of the others.

 Ectoplasm hummed, “Interesting moves.. but you’re still holding back.”

 Killua grinned as he stared at Ectoplasm and the remaining three clones. He settled his step into a rhythm again, _Rhythm Echo,_ and began to walk in a circle around the group of Ectoplasms. In moments, Killua began to blur, his form trailing behind as he circled. Before long, it appeared as if a dozen Killua’s moved in tandem.

 “Hmm, an interesting match indeed. But you can’t attack with them, can you?”

_Good observation._ Killua noted, before shooting forward directly towards the Ectoplasm he thought was real. As soon as his images disappeared, the clones moved to block, but Killua changed his course by pivoting at the last second, spinning to kick through the third clone. He shifted his weight into a handspring, flipping himself into the air to chop through the head of the fourth. He landed feet-first and rocketed forward, destroying the last clone with a palm strike to the midsection.

 He leapt backwards and prepared to face the real Ectoplasm. The man laughed deeply, “Wonderful moves! But I haven’t even approached my limit yet!”

 Ectoplasm reeled back, his throat bulging once again, this time even larger. He spat out even more of that substance, growing into fifteen more clones. _Fifteen?!_ “What will you do without your tricks against a full-frontal assault?”

 All of the clones charged forward, and Killua quickly activated his _Hatsu._ The lightning sparked and crackled across his skin in a flash, and he dashed backwards to avoid being surrounded. Fifteen clones was a lot, surely, but if he keep moving while funneling the clones towards him in a line…

_Or could I go through them?_ An idea came to Killua. If he could keep his momentum by cutting through them instead of using a blunt attack, he could possibly take out multiple at once, all while clearing a path through them.

 Killua quickly noted that the real Ectoplasm was watching off to the side, so he wouldn’t have to worry about harming the man himself. He turned around and grinned. Veins bulged in his fingers as he sharpened them, and he focused his lightning into that hand. The hand buzzed and crackled violently with electricity as he crouched, ready to spring.

 The clones got closer and Killua released, shooting forward to slice through the clones with his sharpened hand. They weren’t in a perfect line, of course, but it was enough. In a flash, he had cut through seven in the clones in one movement. He stopped about twenty yards behind the last clone, next to the real Ectoplasm.

 Ectoplasm hummed in appreciation, “Extraordinary! But, it seems we have gathered a crowd.”

 Killua looked over and noticed a group of students watching. Class 1-A had gathered to watch, with a rather irritated Aizawa at the front of the crowd. He was scowling as he spoke, “Care to tell me why my students ran to me, frantically saying that a student was fighting Ectoplasm outside?”

 Killua blushed at that, but Ectoplasm cut in. “My apologies, Aizawa-san. I noticed that Killua here had a lot on his mind, and thought that some training would do him some good.”

 Aizawa raised an eyebrow, “Attacking him with.. fifteen clones.. is what you consider training?”

 Ectoplasm’s face showed no change in expression besides his eyes widening slightly, “Well.. I may have gotten carried away.”

 Aizawa sighed heavily, “Honestly… Well, we’re here now. You might as well finish up, and then Killua can reacquaint himself with the class.” He turned to the class, “Pay attention! I expect you all to analyze this fight and have answers afterwards.” He stepped over to the side to watch and waved towards them, “Continue.”

Killua stared at Aizawa for a moment, lightning still crackling around his body. Is he really just going to--

 He felt a shift in the air before he saw Ectoplasm’s kick coming for him. In a flash, Killua’s arm was there to block it, and he channeled electricity through it on the point of impact. Ectoplasm grunted in pain as he pulled back and hopped away.

 “Hey, that was a cheap shot!” Killua heard Kirishima yell from the crowd.

 Killua cocked his head at Ectoplasm, “How'd that work out for you?”

 Ectoplasm growled darkly, saying no more words as the clones came charging for Killua.

 It may have been a cheap attack, but Killua didn’t mind at all. Usually. Normally, he wouldn’t have had time to block it. He shouldn’t have been able to, but his reaction time had been near instantaneous. _So what was different that time?_

He leaped into the air over the attacking clones to go with his former strategy, trying to get the clones to chase him so that he could take out as many as he could in one sweep, but Ectoplasm wouldn’t fall for it this time. _Smart_. The clones spread out, attempting to come from different directions. Killua could keep running, of course, but he wouldn’t get anything done that way.

 He could activate his bloodlust to freeze the clones in fear. If it could work on Ectoplasm, he could assume it would work on the clones as well, since he appeared to control them directly. But, he didn’t want to terrify the students on his first day back after almost a week. He also didn’t trust himself not to kill the real Ectoplasm. Not today.

 He landed, immediately pivoting on the ball of his foot. He dashed forward again, this time cutting through only one clone. _Seven left._ He dodged one of the clone’s attacks, moving to gain enough distance to stay out of the way, but not enough to make Ectoplasm think he was trying to use his initial plan again. He made a few strikes, but otherwise didn’t move to take any of them out. He was getting tired.

 The clones got closer, and he was encircled. He felt his enhanced reaction time as he blocked their attacks, not even a blur was perceptible from him in the flurry of movements. He waited as he kept blocking and the clones kept closing in. One of them dashed forward…

 And he leaped, straight into the air. _You should have heard about this one._ He charged the lightning up in his finger as he pointed it down at the gathered clones. _ _“Thunderbolt!”__ He released.

 The lightning flashed towards the ground, connecting with all of the clones as a thunderous crack shattered the air. Killua landed lightly behind Ectoplasm, sharpening his hand and placing it against the side of the teacher’s neck. Fortunately, he showed no sign of malevolence. Just a satisfied grin.

 Ectoplasm’s echoing voice bellowed out a laugh, “You win, Killua Zoldyck. You win. Well done!”

 Killua relaxed his hand, bringing it back to normal and stepping away. He bowed respectfully to Ectoplasm. “Thank you. You gave me a few new ideas to work on. And I.. definitely needed that.”

 Ectoplasm chuckled deeply, “Sometimes action is the best way to get out of your head. You’re very welcome, Killua. When you’re ready to try out your new ideas, you know where to find me.”

 Killua nodded, “Of course. Thanks again!”

 Ectoplasm only nodded in respect as a response.

 Killua gave him a small wave in farewell, and walked over to greet the students. He was met by a flurry of excited comments and even more questions. Once again, his head swam as he struggled to follow each one.

 “Hey, hey! Let him breathe!” Aizawa barked, then continued on to grumble. “I swear! How many times am I gonna have to say that today?”

 The students stopped and stared at their teacher as he walked over to speak with Ectoplasm. Uraraka spoke up, “But.. that was the first time..?”

 Killua rubbed his neck and laughed, “Well.. the same thing happened with the teachers when I came back.”

 Kaminari jumped in, “That lightning was crazy! How do you use so much of it without.. you know...”

 “Becoming an idiot?” Jiro chimed in.

 “Hey!” Kaminari yelled, “But yeah..”

 Killua shrugged, grinning at their exchange. “I’ve been shocked so many times that it just doesn’t affect me anymore. You should get there.”

 Kaminari pumped his fist excitedly.

 Asui inquired, ever so bluntly, “So did you find the villains?”

 Everyone went silent and sobered up quickly, and Killua sighed sadly, “Yeah..”

 So he told the the story for the third time that day, once again leaving out any mention of All for One. He tried to downplay some of the darker elements to it, but they latched on to them anyways, staring at him with wide eyes. And as he mentioned parts of his dark past, he could feel Tokoyami and Todoroki’s eyes narrow in consideration. When he mentioned Gon, he couldn’t help but glance at Midoriya, and when he told of how that friendship had given him a light in his life, some of their eyes filled with tears. It took a lot for Killua’s to stay dry when he saw that, but he managed.

 When he spoke of his altercation with the villains, Bakugo’s eyes lit up excitedly, his grin eager and menacing. Kirishima gave him a huge grin as well, but his didn’t hold the same edge to it. But in the end, Killua’s voice became somber when he concluded with the answers he was given, and the obvious implication that came with it. He didn’t need to say the words, thankfully.

 Silence settled over the group when he finished his story, until Killua felt a hand on his shoulder.

 He looked over to see Kirishima smiling brightly at him, “it’s alright, Killua. We got your back!”

 That seemed to break the tension, and soon others began to chime in.

 “We’ll stand together, fellow child of darkness.” Tokoyami stated, earning himself a few stares.

 “Yeah, we can all become respectable heroes together!” Iida added.

 Bakugo roared angrily, “Yeah! If those villains show their faces again we’ll crush them!”

 Everyone stopped at his outburst, and Killua heard something. He looked over at Midoriya.

 Who was staring at the ground, muttering to himself.

 “Um… is he okay?” Killua asked, genuinely concerned.

 Kirishima laughed, “Oh, yeah. He’s probably trying to figure out how your uh.. not-quirk? However that works.”

 Midoriya looked up as he noticed everyone’s attention on him, then rubbed his neck nervously, “Oh.. I was doing it again, wasn’t I?”

 “Yep.”

 Midoriya’s eyes opened wide in panic and he started stammering, “S-sorry! I-it’s just that your abilities are really cool and Iwaswonderinghowtheyworktogetherand--”

 Killua smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, “Midoriya, relax. It’s fine. I’ll tell you all about it sometime.”

 He looked so relieved that Killua couldn’t help but laugh.

 “Oh, by the way Killua. The sports festival is in a couple days.” Uraraka brought up, “Are you going to compete?”

 Killua shrugged, “I.. haven’t thought about it, really. I just got back, and since I’m not technically a student, I don’t think I can.”

 “Bah! That sucks!” Kirishima blurted out.

 Killua shrugged again, “No, it’s fine. It sounds fun, but.. I think I need some time to settle in. I’ll be watching, though.”

 Nods and murmurs of understanding came from the group in response.

 “Speaking of settling in,” Midoriya cut in, “Where are you staying, Killua?”

 Killua looked at his shoes, “Well, um…”

 “Well?” Ojiro prodded.

 Killua blushed in embarrassment, “Nowhere…?”

 “WHAT?!” Everyone shouted at once.

 Killua sunk in on himself, “What? I didn’t think I would be here long…”

 “Where did you sleep?!”

 “How did you eat?!”

 “What about clothes?!”

 “Hey, hey, HEY!” Aizawa growled loudly. “How many times…”

 “Sorry, Sensei!” Everyone belted out at once. Then more quietly, “Sorry, Killua.”

 Killua shook his head, “It’s fine. I just.. didn’t really want to intrude on anyone.”

 That devolved into over a dozen students offering him a place to stay, promising that their parents wouldn’t mind, and even a few mentions of adoption.

 “Hey..” Aizawa growled in warning.

 Killua waved his hands around, “No, it’s fine! I have a place I can stay, I promise.”

 The class, finally placated, murmured their assent and left it at that.

 A bell rang somewhere inside the school.

 “Alright, time to go home everyone!” Aizawa called out.

 “What!? We’ve been out here for over three hours?!” Kirishima yelled.

 “Yes, now go home! I expect a report on what you saw today by tomorrow!” Aizawa yelled out.

 A ripple of half-hearted groans went through the students as they headed back inside to gather their things and leave.

 Killua was exhausted, so he allowed himself to lag behind. Todoroki turned around to meet him as the main body of students disappeared into the building. “Killua.”

 Killua cocked his head expectantly.

 Todoroki look around to make sure nobody would overhear. “My father.. asked about you.”

 Killua feigned surprise, “Why?”

 Todoroki spoke quietly, “I don’t know, but.. he had mentioned you. Before.”

 Killua just stared at him. _I’m way too tired for this._

 Todoroki studied him, “I don’t know what happened, but.. I wanted to thank you.”

 “For what?” Killua didn’t have to feign surprise that time.

 Todoroki shrugged, “Whatever happened that night. He’s been.. different.”

 “Is that a good thing?” Killua asked curiously.

 Todoroki gave a small smile, “I don’t know yet, but… I think so.” He turned around to head back inside before looking back, “See you tomorrow?”

 Killua thought for a moment before nodding, “Sure.”

 Killua passed through the school, having nothing to gather, and headed outside through the front doors. He walked for a while before he pulled out his phone to dial a number.

 The line picked up, “Detective Tsukauchi.”

 “Hey, um… is that offer still open? By any chance?” Killua asked nervously.

 He could almost hear the smile in the Tsukauchi’s voice, “I thought you’d never ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe a few glimmers of hope as well?
> 
> ALSO! I can't really think of a situation where Killua takes part in the sports festival. It just doesn't make sense, considering the circumstances. And let's be honest, it wouldn't be fair. Sorry if that disappoints anyone. I'll probably end up kind of glossing over it from Killua's POV and then head straight into internships and the Stain arc.
> 
> Which will be a blast.
> 
> Either way, please let me know what you think!


	14. Welcome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! A chapter where I found a clear place to end it without having to split it in half after 5-6000 words.
> 
> I just felt like this chapter was a long time coming and needed to be written.
> 
> **Was going to aim for another chapter tonight but I think I need a break. I'm still torn on the whole sports festival thing and between that and some other things I'm feeling thrown off and discouraged. I'll be back at it as soon as i can.

 “Come on in, Killua! Make yourself at home.” Tsukauchi insisted warmly, hand outstretched into his house as invitation.

 Killua ducked his head in thanks as he stepped inside, making sure to remove his shoes as Tsukauchi shut the door. Killua quickly slid into a pair of slippers before stepping further inside.

 Tsukauchi smiled kindly, “It’s not much, but it’s home! I was just making dinner, so I hope you’re hungry! But come, I’ll show you to your room, and then you can get cleaned up.”

 Killua gave a small smile as he followed Tsukauchi through the house. It was a small, but nice. Cozy. Killua noted that it was built and decorated in a more modern fashion, with just a few traditional touches. He took a moment to memorize the layout, studying the windows and drapes critically. _It would be easy to see inside, especially at night. You wouldn’t be able to--_

Killua looked over as Tsukauchi cleared his throat. He had a puzzled look on his face. “Something wrong?”

 Killua shook his head, blushing lightly. “Sorry.. habits.”

 Tsukauchi considered for a moment before it dawned on him, and he gave a smile. “I understand. Don’t worry, the drapes are closed at night, and the windows lock up tight. Now come on, your room is just down the hall.”

 Killua nodded and followed along. _Of course. He has his own reasons to be cautious. Villains surely wouldn’t take kindly to a man that worked so hard to get them off the streets. Especially not one that they couldn’t lie to._

“Here we are.” Tsukauchi said, opening a door and waving Killua inside. “Once again, it’s not much, but feel free to do whatever you wish with it!”

 Killua stepped inside, taking a look around. The room was medium size, it’s walls a plain, light gray, decorated lightly with a few framed paintings. The bed was full-sized, with sheets and pillowcases of a darker gray to match well with the walls. The frame of the bed was constructed of dark wood that matched the dresser, nightstand, and writing desk in the room. Killua also noted, to his satisfaction, that the room’s single window was covered in dark drapes. It was plain, for certain, but he loved it.

 “Killua, is it not okay?” Tsukauchi asked, his voice sounded concerned.

 Killua broke from his trance hurriedly, “No, it’s fine! Perfect! It’s just.. been a while.”

 Tsukauchi nodded and patted his shoulder, “Well, take all the time you need. The bathroom is right across the hall when you want to get cleaned up. I’ll lend you some clothes while yours are in the wash. They’ll be big, unfortunately, but if you leave your clothes outside I’ll put them in the washer and they will be clean by morning.”

 Killua nodded, and Tsukauchi gave him a smile before heading back towards the kitchen. Killua placed his bag on the floor, tempted to just throw himself into bed and fall asleep, but he was filthy. He removed some fresh bandages from his bag and immediately headed for the bathroom to take a shower. He didn’t want to think about how long it had been.

__Good thing the showers here are similar to the ones back home.__ Killua gave a sigh at the thought, but pushed it away for now. He figured the shower out quickly, making a few adjustments to the temperature, then removed the bandages on his foot before getting in to wash off all the dirt, grime, and blood from the past few days. His foot was tender and sore, but it was nothing he wasn’t used to. He thanked his luck that he didn’t step on any broken glass or nails.

 The familiar act was so simple that he let his mind wander. He was grateful to Tsukauchi for allowing him to stay there, of course, but he hadn’t expected the man to make it sound so.. permanent. He expected to stay for a few days, maybe weeks, at the absolute most. Then again, Killua didn’t exactly have many options. He was a minor, for one. Secondly, he didn’t even exist from a legal standpoint. And when he did, what would happen then?

 He let his questions go as he finished his shower, feeling refreshed as he stepped out. He dried himself and wrapped the towel around his waist before he began to redress his foot. A knock sounded at the door. “Yeah, I’m covered.”

 The door opened and Killua continued wrapping his foot. He saw a stack of clothes being placed on the counter out of the corner of his eye, but the hand that placed them there didn’t pull back. Killua looked up curiously to see Tsukauchi staring at him, pale, as if he’d seen a ghost.

 “What’s wrong?” Killua asked, his adrenaline spiking as he wondered if something happened.

 Tsukauchi snapped out of it and averted his eyes quickly, “Wha- Oh.. nothing! Sorry!” He left quickly and closed the door as he went.

_What was that about?_ Killua wondered as he finished wrapping his foot and stood up to fix his mess of hair in the mirror. As he looked in the mirror, it dawned on him.

_Oh. Scars._ He looked at the countless scars that covered his body, results of his upbringing and years of training. He wouldn’t say he was self-conscious about them. He didn’t feel any reason to be. They were just another part of him. They just were.

 He still couldn’t help but silently wish that the shirt Tsukauchi had lent him had long sleeves.

 He sighed as he finished up, but couldn’t help but grin as he looked himself over before leaving the bathroom, dressed in clothes that he felt he was swimming in. He looked absolutely ridiculous, but it couldn’t be helped. He padded back towards the kitchen, purposefully making a little noise so he wouldn’t startle Tsukauchi.

 Tsukauchi looked up from placing dishes on the table and smiled brightly. Too brightly. Killua noticed that his eyes were practically twinkling with amusement, and the man began to turn red as he tried not to laugh at the sight.

 Killua rolled his eyes and sat down, “Yeah, yeah. Very funny!”

 Tsukauchi couldn’t help but chuckle, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! But please, feel free to dig in. You must be starving.”

 Killua looked over the food. He recognized rice, but not much else. It all looked and smelled wonderful, however, and he had to stop his mouth from watering. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a hot meal.

 He took a bite and hummed happily, and then dug in. He did his best to have at least some decency, but he knew he had he failed when he noticed Tsukauchi looking at him, once again, with amusement. Killua couldn’t bring himself to make any smart comments this time. His hunger had struck with a vengeance as soon as he took the first bite, demanding to be sated.

 The near-painful hunger faded soon, and he forced himself to slow down. He leaned back and smiled widely at Tsukauchi, “It’s really good! Thanks!”

 Tsukauchi chuckled, “I can tell! I’m glad you like it. Eat as much as you like.”

 They continued eating, and Killua found himself growing full soon after. Once they were finished, he moved to help clean up the table but Tsukauchi waved him off with a smile. “It’s fine, Killua. I’ll get it. Give me just a minute and then we can talk about getting you an official identity.”

 “Okay.” Killua said, and then left to go get more acquainted in his room. His room. He was just a guest, of course, but it still gave him a warm feeling. The idea was foreign to him. It had been so long since he had had a space to call his own, and that was back with his family. It had been home, but it hadn’t felt like one. He could never let his guard down.

 He wouldn’t let his guard down here either. Not yet. But he felt that he could, given time.

 “Killua!’ Tsukauchi called from the living room.

 “Coming!” Killua called back.

 Killua padded back out of his room to meet Tsukauchi, finding the man sitting on the couch, the table in front of him covered in various papers. Tsukauchi idly patted the cushion next to him, and Killua sat down. Tsukauchi grabbed a piece of paper and looked it over for a moment.

 “Okay, Killua. I had started working on your identity before you disappeared, but after those events, I hadn’t had a chance to finish it up. We just need to confirm a few things before we put it all into the system.”

 Killua nodded, “Okay.”

 Tsukauchi cleared his throat, “Okay, so I assume you want to keep the same name, correct?” Killua nodded. “Okay, what’s your birth date?”

 “July 7th. I guess here the year would have been… 2160?”

 Tsukauchi nodded and wrote that down. “Okay, so since you weren’t born here, obviously no hospitals would have record of you, so we’ll have to leave that out. I’ll do all of the explaining I need to do without giving too much information. Now, we need to put a place of residence. Since you’ll be staying here for a while, I’ll write down my address, if that’s okay.” He looked over at Killua for confirmation.

 Killua nodded, “Yeah, that’s fine.”

 Tsukauchi nodded, smiling. “Good! That should be about it…” He looked it over one more time. “Hmm.. we can’t register you with a quirk, since technically you don’t have one. We’ll have to register you as quirkless. That means that __technically,”__ He put heavy emphasis on that, “you can’t get in trouble for illegal quirk use. But! I would both recommend and ask you that you don’t abuse that technicality.”

 Killua nodded in agreement, “I’ll try not to.”

 Tsukauchi gave him a skeptical look before shaking his head. “I won’t count on it. I know better than that.”

 Killua put on his best innocent face, “What do you mean?”

 Tsukauchi gave an exasperated sigh. “Okay, we’re all done here. I’ll file the paperwork in the morning, and I should be able to push it along. Hopefully, in a few days, we can have you official. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to bed.”

 Killua nodded again, “Okay. Yeah.. that sounds great.”

 Killua went to his room, turned off his light and started to lay down. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tsukauchi is such a dad and I love it.


	15. Reminders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I'll just skip it altogether. I just couldn't write anything that I was happy with.  
> We all know what happens at the sports festival anyways, considering Killua wouldn't have taken part.  
> However, there are a few minor (maybe not so minor?) character differences that I alluded to here, mainly having to do with the man we all love to hate.  
> Hopefully I hinted towards them well enough. Let me know!

Two days had passed since the UA Sports Festival, and Killua once again found himself at the gates of UA. He had been asked by Aizawa to join them, as they would be discussing internships for the students, and the man assured Killua that he would have options even though he couldn’t have been scouted at the event.

 He arrived late, entering the class only to be met with Bakugo furiously yelling about his name. Killua stopped in the doorway, confused, before Midnight jumped in to enlighten him.

 “Oh, Killua! Perfect. We were just going over hero names. Every student will need one before they begin their internships. Do you have any ideas?”

 Killua wracked his brain, but only shrugged before moving to take a seat. This brought an onslaught of suggestions from the class, most of them being completely ridiculous.

 “What about Flash?! Because you’re fast and all that!” Kirishima suggested.

 “Death-glare.” Asui suggested bluntly.

 “Sparky!” Bakugo growled tauntingly.

 Killua shook his head, “Can I just use my normal name?”

 Midnight nodded, “You can, if you really-”

 “What about,” Midoriya chimed in quietly, “Anomaly? Since.. you know…”

 “Tch! Nerdy!” Bakugo joked.

 Killua thought about it for a second, “Hmm.. sure! That sounds fine.”

 Midoriya beamed, earning another “Tch!” from Bakugo.

 “Anomaly it is!” Midnight accepted cheerfully. “Now, I’ll leave you with Aizawa to start discussing your internship opportunities!”

 She left, and soon Aizawa began emerging from his yellow cocoon to tiredly look over the class. “Now, even if you didn’t receive any offers from the sports event, you’ll still have to undergo internships. There are 40 hero agencies that work closely with UA that have agreed to take on students, and you’ll be free to choose one of those. Now, let’s go over those who did receive offers.”

 “Todoroki received the most, with 4,123. Bakugo next, with 3,556. After that, Tokoyami with 360, Iida with 301, Kaminari with 272, Yaoyorozu with 108, Kirishima with 68, Uraraka with 20, Sero with 14, and…” He hummed curiously, then looked at Killua questioningly. “Killua with 1.”

 The students who didn’t receive an offer groaned, causing Bakugo to cackle harshly. “Haaa?! He wasn’t even in the sports festival and he still received more than you losers!”

 Aizawa’s resulting glare was enough to make him shut up.

 Killua was just as puzzled, however. “Huh? Why would I get an offer?”

 Aizawa handed him the offer sheet, and Killua hurriedly looked it over. Endeavor. _But why? He would have plenty of students to choose from, so why would he pick someone who didn’t even participate? Because of that fight? Or something else?_ His tried to wrap his mind around it as the rest of the class began to discuss and consider their own offers.

 Killua turned to look over at Todoroki, who wasn’t even looking through his offers. He appeared to have already decided. He walked over to take a seat next to Todoroki, showing him the offer. The student seemed to be just as surprised at Killua, however. Possibly more surprised.

 “He didn’t mention anything to me, but..” He pointed at the sheet. “What’s that about?”

 Killua followed his finger, which lead him to only more confusion. “Why would he want me to give you my measurements?” He wondered aloud. “I don’t even know what my measurements are.”

 Several of the students perked up as they overheard him. Uraraka turned around excitedly, “Measurements? Are you getting a hero costume, Killua?”

 Yaoyorozu was already creating a tape measure, pulling it out with an all-too-innocent smile on her face. “We can help with your measurements!”

 Several of the girls were already moving towards him, and Killua couldn’t do anything except stand stone-still as they yanked his arms around to begin taking his measurements. He blushed as the boys in the class held back their laughter at his predicament. Or, in Bakugo’s case, didn’t hold back at all. Yaoyorozu called out measurements, and Ashido quickly wrote them down on a piece of paper. Killua blushed even more deeply as they measured his in-seam, not helped at all by their obvious amusement and halfhearted apologies.

 In short time, or what felt like ages to Killua, Ashido handed the finished measurements to Todoroki and the girls cheerily went back to their seats. Killua was left dumbfounded, and Todoroki wasn’t much better off. Midoriya decided to break their confused trance with a question.

 “Who was your offer from, Killua?”

 “Endeavor.”

 The class seemed to simmer down at his response, almost growing somber as they all pointedly tried not to look at Todoroki. Killua shot the student a suspicious look, demanding explanation. Todoroki shook his head and silently mouthed, “Later.”

 Killua gave a short nod before returning his seat. Of course, Endeavor was well-known for his abrasive personality, but how bad could it really be? Killua was well-accustomed to dealing with that type. Was there something else to it? He remembered Endeavor’s outburst during Todoroki and Midoriya’s match at the sports festival, but that had appeared to be a father’s pride that his son had fully embraced his powers. Killua remembered hearing a similar pride from his own father, albeit in different circumstances.

 The ringing bell pulled Killua out of his thoughts, announcing an end to the class. Killua waited for the majority of students to leave the classroom, not wanting to be caught in the mass of bodies, before heading for the door himself. He stopped just outside as he caught sight of Todoroki leaning against the wall, waiting for him.

 Todoroki nodded to the side with his head, indicating for Killua to follow. Killua did, and they walked side-by-side through the halls in silence for a time before Todoroki led them outside. Once they put some distance between themselves and the door, Todoroki sighed and turned to face Killua.

 “Okay, I need to let you know what you’re getting into, if you choose to accept.”

 Killua just responded with a serious nod.

 Todoroki took a deep breath, “My father is a very ambitious man…”

 Todoroki went on to tell Killua the story of his father’s ambition. Of how he lived constantly in the shadow of the #1 hero, All-Might. He told of how his father had married his mother for her quirk, in an attempt to “create” a child that could surpass All-Might. He spoke of the hardships his father had put him through in order to achieve that dream, and how that had lead Shoto to fear his father, eventually turning into hatred. Before today, the idea of quirk-marriages hadn’t occurred to Killua, although a jaded part of him could see the appeal.

 Todoroki finished his story with a meaningful look towards Killua. “Something changed after my father’s encounter with you. He told me briefly of it, but something doesn’t add up. There was something he didn’t tell me. What happened?”

 Killua stared at him for a moment, before throwing caution to the wind. “I.. killed someone.”

 Todoroki recoiled in shock.

 Killua ignored it and continued. “Your father was up against a villain with a water-quirk. You can guess how that was going to go, so I jumped in.” Todoroki nodded in acknowledgement. “I used my lightning to knock the villain out, and your father ran to chase down the last villain. What we thought was the last villain.”

 Todoroki waited expectantly.

 Killua sighed, “As he ran off, the actual last villain managed to sneak up behind me and bite my shoulder. Black Mamba.” Todoroki’s eyes widened. “The villain laughed as he told me it would be a quick death, and I snapped. I turned around and.. ripped his heart out. Literally.”

 Todoroki had no response, so Killua continued.

 “When I went to regroup with your father, he had recognized the villain. He looked at me as if I was already dead, and apologized as he informed me of the villains quirk. I told him that it was fine, that I’m immune to snake venom, but he didn’t believe me. So, I told him about my past. About the torture training my father put me through to build up my pain tolerance and immunity to various things. Poison, electricity.. typical stuff that we would have to be ready for.”

 Todoroki blanched as if he had seen a ghost. “I-I’m.. sorry. I didn’t know that.”

 Killua shrugged it off, “Don’t be. It’s in the past. I wouldn’t be able to do half of the things I can today if it weren’t for that. Either way, in the end, I was informed that your father had offered to take the blame for killing the villain. That he was.. used to it?”

 Todoroki nodded, still struggling to digest the information. “Yeah. He.. gets carried away, sometimes.”

 Killua gave a small smile in understanding, “Yeah, it happens.”

 Todoroki cleared his throat awkwardly, “Well, that explains a lot. Thanks. And.. I’m sorry for pressuring you to tell me.”

 Killua gave a reassuring smile, “It’s fine. Like I said, it’s in the past.”

 Todoroki hesistantly nodded, “So, are you still thinking about accepting?”

 Killua nodded, “Yeah. He __is__ the number two hero, after all. There’s a lot to learn.”

 Todoroki nodded, more certain this time. “Okay. I’ll see you in two days?”

 Killua agreed, “Definitely. I’ll meet you here?”

 Todoroki gave a small nod, and a smile. Killua waved and began to walk home before Todoroki called out. “Oh, and Killua?”

 Killua turned around, cocking his head in question.

 Todoroki’s look was dead-serious, “If he tells you to spar with him, don’t hold back.. It pisses him off.”

 Killua grinned in anticipation, “Wouldn’t think of it.”

 

 __________________________________________________________

 

 Two days later, as promised, Killua met Todoroki outside of UA High School. The student greeting him with a small smile and nod as he kept walking, and Killua fell into step beside him. They walked in silence for a while, Killua noticing that Todoroki looked even more reserved than usual.

 “What’s up, Todoroki?”

 Todoroki sighed, “Just.. worried about Iida.”

 Killua’s face grew concerned, “What happened?”

 Todoroki gave him a surprised look before remembering that Killua wasn’t with them. He shook his head, “His brother, Ingenium, was attacked by that Hero Killer that’s been running rampant around Hosu city. He swore up and down that everything was fine, but…”

 “it’s not.” Killua stated.

 Todoroki nodded, “Yeah. He had this look in his eyes. I know that look. The desire for vengeance. I’m just afraid that it’s going to cloud his judgement and lead him to getting himself hurt. Or worse.”

 Killua agreed, his response sounded almost like a mantra, “Acting out of emotion leads to mistakes.”

 Todoroki gave a grim nod. “He took an internship at a small agency, when he had much better options. An agency in Hosu city…”

 Killua’s eyes widened, “That means..”

 Todoroki sighed, “He’s going to look for the Hero Killer..”

 Killua broke off his step and hurried to leave, “Sorry, Todoroki, but I’m going to-”

 Todoroki stopped him, “Wait! Let’s meet with Endeavor first. Iida won’t be there for a while, and even then, he won’t find the Killer right away. We have time.”

 Killua reluctantly agreed, “Okay. Let’s go.”

 They traveled through the city in silence for a while, before Todoroki stopped them in front of a massive skyscraper. “We’re here.” He looked at Killua seriously. “Ready?”

 Killua nodded, taking Todoroki’s serious attitude to heart, and they headed inside. They entered an elevator and Todoroki pushed the button for floor 27. Soon, the doors opened to reveal a long hallway. They walked to the large double-doors at the end, and Todoroki knocked.

 “Come in!” A deep voice called from inside.

 They pushed open the doors and entered into a massive office. The room was almost luxurious enough in design to make up for the obvious lack in furnishings. Killua didn’t miss that most of the few furnishings that were in the room were pushed up against the wall. They were met by Endeavor, who had been leaning against his desk in wait.

 He stepped forward, his large form moving in a sure step, to greet them. “Shoto! You decided to come after all. You’ve made the right choice. I’m proud of you.”

 Todoroki only gave a reserved nod in response, and Endeavor’s face flashed only the slightest disappointment before he turned to study Killua.

 Endeavor’s voice was polite, but gruff. “Killua Zoldyck, I’m pleased that you accepted my offer, as well. I must admit, I was disappointed to learn that you weren’t competing in the Sports Festival. I had been looking forward to seeing you fight.. again. Especially against Shoto.”

 Killua’s voice was level and calm. “It made sense, considering the circumstances. It wouldn’t have been fair to the other students.”

 Endeavor nodded curtly, “Yes. I would like to hear more about those circumstances at a later date. But, first!” Endeavor moved back to his desk to grab a bundle that he tossed to Killua. Killua caught it easily and looked down to inspect it as Endeavor continued speaking. “We’ll be going out on a patrol soon. I took some liberties in procuring this for you. Fire-resistant clothing.”

 Killua opened the bundle, noting that it was a dark-blue body suit, designed to be worn either under existing clothing or independently. He felt the material, noticing that while it was similar to the material used in many body suits, it was also different. “I.. can’t afford things like this.”

 Endeavor held his hand up. “My own patented design. Cost is no object. What’s important is that you can work with Shoto and I without the risk of getting caught in the crossfire. It doesn’t cover everything, of course, but it will help.” He didn’t leave Killua any room to argue. “Now, you can decide whether you want to put it on now or afterwards, but before we go..”

 Endeavor stood in the middle of the room, drawing himself up to his full, imposing height. “You know some of what we can do. However, my memory isn’t what it used to be… So, remind me what you can do. And don’t hold back.”

 Shoto’s eyes were wide in disbelief, his voice uncharacteristically frantic. “What?! Here? Father…”

 “Shoto.” Endeavor’s tone held warning. He was having none of it. “Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on him.”

 Endeavor didn’t miss the flash of irritation on Killua’s face, and the man grinned in anticipation. Killua calmly set the bundle of clothing down on the floor, pointedly ceding the advantage it would give him, before slowly moving forward to face the Number Two hero, Endeavor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pardon the language, but...
> 
> Let's fucking go!


	16. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm.. not quite as long as I expected it to be, but I think it's okay.

“Whenever you’re ready, Killua.”

 Killua took a deep breath to center himself, before beginning to slowly circle Endeavor. He settled into the practiced rhythm for his technique, _ _Rhythm Echo.__ His figure began to distort, blurring and fading behind him as he moved. The illusion took hold quickly, and soon the multiple images of Killua moved in perfect tandem around Endeavor.

 The hero recovered from his surprise quickly, to his credit. Killua circled for a moment longer, before dashing towards Endeavor from behind. The man anticipated it, and spun to block Killua’s punch with a raised arm before smoothly countering with a low kick. Killua darted out of range before darting back in for a high kick of his own. Endeavor blocked once again, and Killua sprung backwards to avoid the hero’s counterattack.

_He hasn’t activated his fire, yet. He’s holding back._ Killua quickly suppressed his irritation, and darted forward to feign a punch. Endeavor moved to block, allowing Killua to land a kick to his side. The hero grunted, but was otherwise unfazed as he threw a straight punch to counter. Killua got his arms up in time to block, but the force of it surprised him, sending him off balance and stumbling backwards. Endeavor charged forward to capitalize on the opening, launching a right hook downwards at Killua, who rolled out of the way before quickly righting himself and backpedaling to gain distance. Endeavor didn’t give chase, instead settling into a defensive stance to wait, appearing more than comfortable with just countering Killua’s offense.

_We’ll see how long that lasts._ Killua strode forward, using his other variation of _Rhythm Echo._ This version was far less disorienting to look at, but his images wouldn’t disappear as soon as he broke the rhythm. Instead, they would move to attack and break apart on impact. He walked forward, calmly closing the distance as Endeavor waited for him to attack.

 He shot forward, and as one of his images blocked Endeavor’s line of sight he slid under the hero’s legs. The other images distracted the hero as Killua spun, flaring his aura and focusing it on his leg as he gained momentum. He finished his spin and landed the kick into Endeavor’s upper back. The enhanced force was enough to send the man off balance, and as Killua landed he continued the momentum into a leg sweep, taking the hero off of his feet. Killua was already moving to finish the fight before the hero hit the ground.

 Endeavor landed hard, and the sound of a growl was the only warning Killua had. A heartbeat later, flames flared out from the hero, forcing Killua to leap backwards to avoid being burned. Endeavor stood up quickly, drawing himself up to his full height as the flames accented his growing anger.

 Killua responded by using his _Hatsu,_ bringing the electricity to crackle and hum around his body. He felt a light strain on his legs as he braced his feet on the ground, then launched himself forward. He was on Endeavor in less than a heartbeat, throwing a palm forward to strike with a _Lightning Palm._ He made contact and felt the electricity shock the hero, but was forced back as Endeavor’s flames raged towards him to counter.

 Endeavor recovered shortly after, sending a quick gout of flames towards Killua, who dodged out of the way. Endeavor used the distraction to close the distance, charging forward to unleash a flurry of strikes. Killua dodged and blocked, but had to focus his aura defensively to minimize the damage of the hero’s flames as he waited for an opening.

_He’s not that fast, but he’s strong. And with the flames, I can’t counter yet._ He continued to withstand the barrage of blows, waiting for Endeavor to grow impatient. It didn’t take long, and as the man slightly overstepped for a powerful hook…

_There!_ Killua pushed forward and dropped into a slide, once again passing through Endeavor’s legs. As he righted himself, however, Endeavor landed a solid kick into his side, sending him sailing backwards before landing roughly on the ground. He leaped up quickly, ignoring the pain from the inevitable burn, expecting the man to rush him.

Instead, Endeavor stood in a mass of growing flames, drawing them into a focused mass. Killua quickly flared his _Hatsu,_ channeling all of the electric aura he could muster into his fingertips. He watched the hero closely as his lightning grew in power. As Endeavor threw his hand forward, Killua did as well.

_“Jet Burn!”_

_“Thunderbolt!”_

The room grew exponentially hotter as Endeavor’s flames roared forward, and blindingly bright as Killua’s lightning sliced through the air to match. The fire and the lightning collided in the middle…

 Right into a thick wall of ice.

 The ice exploded from the massive concentration of heat and electricity, erupting into a deafening crack that shook the entire building. A blinding flash accompanied the crash, temporarily blinding the room’s inhabitants. Shards of ice melted even as they rocketed throughout the room, becoming harmless splashes as they flew.

 “That’s _quite_ enough,” Shoto stated shakily, “Don’t you think?”

 Killua and Endeavor stared blankly at the pool of water on the ground, all that remained of the wall of ice that had taken the force of their attacks. The two locked eyes and stared at each other as they both struggled to regain their breath, neither yet sure if they should lower their guard completely.

 “Killua?” Shoto questioned, looking between the two. “Father?”

 Killua suddenly grinned, and Endeavor stared at him for a moment before bellowing out a laugh.

 Shoto stared at his father for a moment in disbelief before turning to look at Killua instead, who had begun laughing as well.

 “That’s it,” Shoto concluded, “I’m surrounded by crazy people.”

 “Come on!” Killua pleaded jokingly, “That was fun!”

 “Yes,” Shoto stated drily, “Nearly taking down the entire building was _fun._ ”

 “Yeah.” Killua agreed.

 “You realize,” Shoto continued, “You could have died.”

 “Yeah.” Killua repeated.

 “...You could have killed my father.” Shoto added.

 “...sorry?” Killua tried.

 Endeavor shook his head as he stepped through the pool of water. “Now.. that was a good fight. I stand corrected. Maybe it’s a good thing that you held back.”

 “You’re kidding.” Shoto stated flatly, staring at Killua. “You held back?”

 Killua shrugged, “A little. I wasn’t _trying_ to kill him. I may have a few more tricks, but I’m still working out the kinks. And besides, he held back too.”

 Endeavor raised an eyebrow, “How could you tell?”

 “You could have used your quirk earlier to gain an advantage and throw me off, but you waited until the last moment. Also, you stayed defensive instead of moving to press your advantage.”

 Endeavor considered for a moment, “Perhaps I was just being cautious.”

 Killua thought about it, “Maybe, but I don’t think so.”

 Endeavor grunted lightly, “You can move a lot faster than you did. My memory isn’t quite that bad.”

 Killua shrugged, “We both held back, then.”

 Endeavor took a look around before nodding, “Yeah. The building’s still standing, after all.”

 Shoto glanced between the two before clearing his throat, “Shouldn’t we clean this up?”

 Endeavor waved it off, “I’ll have someone do it. Get ready to go while I go inform the staff that there was a minor accident. We’re going on a patrol.”

 “May I ask where we’re going?” Shoto asked.

 Endeavor looked over his shoulder as he went through the door, “Hosu City.”

 Shoto and Killua shared a significant look as the door shut behind him.

 Shoto stared back at the door for a few moments before sighing. “That.. was odd.”

 Killua cocked his head, “Which part?”

 Shoto kept staring, “I don’t remember ever hearing him laugh like that.”

 Killua shrugged, “That’s a good thing, right?”

 Shoto shook his head, “I.. suppose it is. I just don’t know. After all this time.”

 Killua began to change into his new body suit, “It seems like -- Don’t look -- he’s trying, at least.”

 Shoto gave a heavy sigh, “I suppose so. It just.. doesn’t feel real.”

 Killua pulled the body suit up above his waist, “I understand.”

 Shoto glanced over, his face blanching as he took in Killua’s heavily scarred torso before looking away. “Yeah.. I guess you do.”

 “I said don’t look!” Killua repeated lightly.

 “Sorry.”

 Killua finished pulling up the body suit before quickly putting his shorts and white t-shirt on over it. He slipped into his shoes as well before stuffing his blue long-sleeve into his backpack. He looked back over at Shoto.

 “Like I said, he seems to be trying. I get that you want to keep your distance, and that’s okay too. If he means it, he’ll understand.” He swung his backpack onto his shoulder. “But eventually you’ll have to decide if you want to try, too. That’s up to you.”

 Shoto considered for a moment before giving Killua a small smile, “Yeah. Thanks.”

 Killua smiled back, “Sure. Ready?”

 Shoto nodded, and they headed downstairs to meet Endeavor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, yeah, it was pretty even. But remember that Killua came from mid-Greed Island arc, so he still has a bit to figure out.
> 
> And when that happens? Oof
> 
> Trust me, i've had to stop myself about 6 times already. At least. You have no idea.


	17. Desperation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was SO difficult to write. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I'll post it for now.
> 
> Hopefully it's okay enough to leave as is, but if it's not I'll rewrite it at a later date.
> 
> I think I gave everyone their moments while still being able to focus on Killua, but let me know what you think!

Endeavor, Killua, and Shoto finally arrived in Hosu City.

 And it was chaos.

 Screams of fear tore through the air. Fire and smoke filled the streets, and heroes scrambled to make sense of the disarray. The trio ran through the streets, searching for the source of the destruction. As they ran through the streets, a huge figure crashed through a nearby building. It looked slightly different from the last one, but Killua recognized it regardless.

 “Nomu!” Killua called out.

 “More than one.” Endeavor growled out as a second Nomu barreled around the corner. Endeavor immediately met the first with waves of fire to hold them off.

 Just then, both Killua and Shoto’s phones both chirped. Shoto checked it quickly as Killua waited impatiently. “It’s Midoriya.”

 “What did he say?” .

 “Nothing, it’s just his location. He’s nearby.”

 Killua narrowed his eyes, “That’s not much to go off of.”

 “I know, but we should-”

 “We have bigger things to deal with here!” Endeavor barked out.

 “Sorry, but I have to. Deal with the Nomu’s, and send the other Pros when you can!” Shoto called, already moving.

 “I’ll catch up soon!” Killua yelled at his back.

 “Where does he think he’s going?” Endeavor demanded.

 “Midoriya needs help. Let’s just hope these Nomus aren’t as strong as the one from USJ.” Killua responded.

 Endeavor sighed heavily, still looking in the direction Shoto went.

 Killua shook his head, “Midoriya wouldn’t just send his location if it wasn’t serious. Now.. it’s up to you, but..”

 “What?” Endeavor demanded.

 “I don’t think these things are human anymore. What means can we use to take them down?”

 “Any means necessary.” Endeavor growled.

 Killua’s voice was cold and hollow as he flipped his switch. “Good.”

 Killua was gone, the first target already in his sights. In less than a heartbeat, he was on the Nomu’s back, stabbing his sharpened claws through it’s brain, before flipping backwards off of it. He lunged forward, plunging his hand straight through it’s chest. As it fell, it became engulfed in flames. It’s screams were as inhuman as the creature that voiced them. Killua kept moving.

 Killua scanned around for the second Nomu, and he spotted it just as a yellow flash knocked it down. That yellow flash turned out to be a short, grey-haired man, who quickly bounced off of the Nomu’s back. Killua was on the Nomu instantly, slicing the creature’s head off before leaping off of it to avoid Endeavor’s incoming flames. He nodded in thanks to the short man before turning back to Endeavor.

 A shriek pierced the air, and Killua looked up to spot a winged Nomu flying through the air down the street. He looked to Endeavor in question.

 “Go catch up to Shoto! I’ll take care of that one!” Endeavor called out.

 With a nod, Killua took off. He pulled himself out of his assassin’s focus as he pulled out his phone to check Midoriya’s location, before pocketing it and activating his __Hatsu.__ Lightning coarsed through him as he bounded through alleyways and over rooftops, holding nothing back to reach them. He felt a mixture of dread and determination as all of the signs pointed to what he already suspected.

_They must have found the Hero Killer. If Iida is there, probably engaged him alone, and now they’re in trouble. I have to hurry._ Killua pushed himself to go faster, forcing his emotions down to keep his focus on his movements. He couldn’t afford to make a mistake now. If Shoto arrived before him, alone, and got killed…

 He turned a corner to find his suspicions confirmed. In a moment, he noted that Iida was on the ground unmoving, along with Midoriya and a third person that Killua didn’t recognize. Iida and the third party were losing a lot of blood. Killua spotted what must be the Hero Killer, a man wearing a mismatch of dark colors, most notably blood-red. He had a strip of cloth over his eyes with holes to see through, and was holding a katana with multiple knives on his body.

 Only Shoto was still standing.

 Killua moved instantly, gathering his aura into a crackling mass on his fingertip before releasing it. The lightning crashed against the ground instead of it’s target as the Hero Killer dodged out of the way. Killua landed lightly on the ground in front of the Stain, blocking his path from all but Midoriya.

 “Shoto, protect the others.” Killua ordered coldly.

 “Another wanna-be hero, huh?” Stain asked disdainfully.

 “I never said I wanted to be a hero.” Killua responded flatly.

 “You too, Killua?” Iida asked in frustration. “Why? This is my fight!”

 “If this guy needs to be stopped, then sorry,” Killua flared his lightning again, “But this is everyone’s fight.”

 Killua lunged forward with a _Lightning Palm._ Stain dodged narrowly, and Killua kept on the attack. He threw a wide punch, using his momentum when Stain dodged to spin into a kick. Stain leaped to the side and prepared to swing his sword, but a burst of fire cut him off. Killua dashed from wall to wall, attempting to disorient the killer, before shooting in to land a kick to the man’s side.

 Stain whirled around and dashed forward, sword in one hand and knife in the other. In a sudden burst of speed, the killer’s sword flashed towards Killua in an arc, and when Killua bounced backwards to get out of it’s range, Stain lunged forward to stab with the knife.

 Killua sidestepped, but the blade grazed his side with a sting. As the blade touched him, Killua’s electricity shot through it and into the killer’s arm. He spun from his sidestep into a kick while Stain was stunned, landing a solid blow into the man’s back. Stain stumbled forward, but quickly recovered. Then he licked his knife.

 Killua’s body stopped working, and he dropped to the ground on his back.

 “Stop!” Iida screamed.

 “If you want it to stop,” Shoto yelled in response, “Then get up!”

 Stain leaped into the air and threw two knives in a flash, which stabbed deeply into Shoto’s arm. The killer surged forward to press the attack, but a flash of green shot in, grabbing the Hero Killer and dragging him against the wall before throwing him to the ground. Midoriya landed and retreated behind Shoto to recover.

_Midoriya recovered before the other two.. but why?_ Killua noticed that Stain was growing desperate. The hero killer’s movements became faster, but more erratic, as he leaped up and off the wall towards Shoto. Shoto countered with fire, but the killer moved out of the way, continuing forward around the flames to swing his sword.

 A wall of ice surged into place, forcing the killer back and trapping him on the other side. With Killua.

 Stain moved to stand over Killua, “You’re pretty good, but… you lack passion. You don’t even care about saving people, do you? You’re a fake.”

 Killua’s response was cold and dismissive, “Didn’t anyone ever tell you?”

 Stain raised an eyebrow.

 Killua’s voice grew cold, “That if success isn’t guaranteed, you should run.”

 Stain raised his sword, “Die.”

_Now or never._ Killua focused his aura, but this time instead of outwards, he pulled it in. Lightning coursed through him, this time, as opposed to around him. He felt a tingle of familiar pain spike through his whole body as it reacted to the electricity stimulating it. He closed his eyes. The sword thrust downwards.

 The instant it met his skin, he caught it.

 “What?” Stain sputtered. “You shouldn’t be able to move yet!”

 Killua grinned wickedly. “Thanks. I finally figured it out.”

 He pushed his aura through his hand, and electricity shot through the sword, straight into Stain’s body. The man screamed in pain, and Killua watched the wall of ice quickly melt, revealing the rest of the group. Iida had finally begun to stir, recovering slowly from his paralysis. Midoriya dashed forward, bounding off of the walls to gain momentum as he winded up a punch, which landed solidly on the Hero Killer’s face.

 Stain growled desperately as he moved to counter Midoriya, who was dashing in and out of range, but not fully committing to any attacks. Killua glanced over to see Shoto freezing the engines on Iida’s legs. __He’s trying to buy time.__

Killua kept trying to move as he slowly felt the paralysis begin to fade. He sluggishly got up on a knee as he began to recover, but noticed that Midoriya was being pushed back. He had to move. He began to gather his aura again, focusing the electricity inside himself once again.

_If I can use this to attack and move as fast I did before, he won’t be able to counter. But I’ll hold myself back if I try to keep up with my thoughts. I’ll have to rely on instincts alone to fight. Just like assassin-mode… But I can’t kill him._

Killua shakily stood on his feet and took a deep breath. The electricity coursed through him. He focused, settling into a trance similar to his assassin’s focus. __I don’t want to kill him.__ Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t bring himself to do it in front of everyone. Not this time. He set that determination in his mind as his body began to glow brightly, along with his eyes. His hair spiked into the air as the static charge too hold.

 Stain finally forced Midoriya to retreat, but upon seeing the student’s staring at Killua behind him, he whirled around to see what they were staring at.

 Killua glared at the killer with determination. “You should have run the moment the odds were against you. But you’re just an amateur, after all.”

 Stain’s expression flashed anger and he began to move forward, but Killua disappeared.

 Time seemed to slow down as Killua shot forward on instinct, allowing his muscle memory to take over. Stain had no time to react as Killua unleashed a flurry of blows on the killer. A spinning kick to the face, followed by a shocking palm strike to the midsection, which flowed into a chop to the back of the neck. Blow after blow landed on the defenseless Hero Killer.

 Stain doubled over in pain as another kick landed on his midsection, and Killua flashed downwards, planting his pivot foot and kicking upwards with all of his strength into Stain’s chest. The killer was thrown into the air and Killua zipped backwards. “Go!”

 Two streaks, one green and one blue, arced through the air to meet the Hero Killer.

_“Recipro-”_

_“Smash!”_

_“Burst!”_

Midoriya’s punch met Stain’s chin at the same time as Iida’s kick met the Hero Killer’s side, nearly twisting the man in half. Stain plummeted to the ground, unconscious.

 Killua felt his aura fade as he moved forward to tie up the Hero Killer, as he was the only one that had full use of both arms. He tied the Killer up tightly before checking any places that the man might be hiding a weapon, and he found three more knives hidden throughout the man’s clothes before he was satisfied. They dragged him out towards the street while they waited for help to arrive.

 The short, grey haired man from earlier landed across the street in a flash. “Midoriya! What are you doing running off like that?!”

 Midoriya spun and began stammering, “Gran Torino, I’m sorry! My friends needed help and I-”

 The arrival of other heroes interrupted them, one of which called out Iida for running off on his own.

 “I’m sorry,” Iida responded, his voice sounding thoroughly distraught. “I.. wasn’t thinking correctly. It won’t happen again.”

 “Hey,” The hero assured, “At least you’re alright. Don’t worry about it.”

 The heroes began moving in to start checking wounds and stopping bleeding, starting with the hero that Killua hadn’t recognized, Native. The hero that had called out Iida was exchanging quiet words with the student as he checked his wounds.

 “Wait,” One of the heroes cut in. “Is that the Hero Killer?”

 The students shared a look and nodded grimly, and the few unfamiliar heroes had an air of shock as they put all the pieces together.

 A shriek pierced the air, and everyone spun to see a winged Nomu flying down the street with an angry Endeavor in hot pursuit. The Nomu swooped down, and before anyone could react had snatched Midoriya in it’s claws and began to fly away.

 “No! If it gets too far, I won’t be able--” Gran Torino began.

 “Be ready to catch him.” Killua’s voice rang cold and hollow as he let go of his inhibitions. People were one thing, but to Killua, these creatures weren’t people anymore. He appeared on the Nomu’s back in an instant. He jabbed his sharpened claws into it’s head to hold it still as his other hand flashed down to cut it clean off.

 The Nomu let go of Midoriya and began falling immediately, but luckily Gran Torino caught the student in a blur. He dashed back to the group and placed Midoriya on the ground as Killua landed softly. Killua whirled around as he suddenly felt bloodlust coming from behind him, and was met with a glaring Hero Killer, who had stood up while they were distracted. Somehow, he had freed himself from his bonds.

 Bloodlust met bloodlust, and the Hero-Killer roared his words passionately. “Come and get me, you fakes! The only person I’ll let kill me is the one true hero, All-Might!”

 Killua was unaffected as the two menacing auras canceled each other out, and he was behind the Hero Killer in an instant, sharpened claws pressed against the man’s neck in warning.

 The Hero Killer had frozen in place, however, and collapsed to the ground unconscious a few moments later. Killua pulled himself from his deadly focus and shook his head as he began retying the Hero Killer, pointedly ignoring the disbelieving stares that bored into them as he worked.

 Before long, police cruisers flooded in to take the Hero Killer away and gather statements, as well as ambulances to take the injured students, and Native, to the hospital. Endeavor and the other uninjured heroes stayed to help assess and mitigate the damage and assist in rescuing any civilians that had been caught in the chaos.

 Killua rode along in an ambulance with Shoto as the paramedics worked on Shoto’s wound. His wound wasn't severe enough to need attention, so he stayed out of their way as they worked. Shoto and Killua were silent, Shoto appearing lost in thought as he digested all that happened. One thing wouldn’t leave Killua’s mind, however.

_That’s the first time I’ve seen bloodlust from another person in this world._ The Hero Killer was skilled, of course, but he wasn’t a true assasin. Then again, the aura was just a result of both razor-sharp focus and intent to kill. It wasn’t exclusive to assassins, but it still struck him to odd. The aura was too similar to _ _Nen,__ but Killua also knew it had to be a separate thing altogether. Killua had used that murderous aura far before he had ever even known what _ _Nen__  was.

 He pushed the train of thought away as they arrived at the hospital. They were quickly admitted, and Killua’s wound was quickly cleaned and dressed. They left him in a large room, designed to hold multiple patients, to wait for the others to be treated and brought in to rest for the night. Luckily, it didn’t appear that anyone was wounded badly enough that they would have to stay longer than that.

 Killua laid down on the hospital bed, exhausted from all of the fighting the day had brought. As he waited for the others, he couldn’t help but give in to the pull of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I gave in. Godspeed!


	18. Misunderstanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath we all know with a few key changes. If it seems a bit out of the blue and forced (it probably is) don't worry, it will make sense eventually.
> 
> This will probably lead into something more original. Re-writing canon events with a few additions and changes is cool and all, but gets tiring.

The next morning, even after the four boys had given up on sleeping, was mostly quiet and somber. Killua assumed that the realization of what they had done had finally dawned on the other three. He had his own opinions on each student’s role in the matter, but kept them to himself. Between their injuries and the scoldings they would inevitably receive from the pro-heroes, they wouldn’t need further criticism. Plus, he didn’t feel that it was his place. Maybe a few years ago, he would have, but he had learned all too quickly that the best intentions often lead to the biggest risks.

_Iida knows how stupid and reckless his actions were. Midoriya and Shoto were just trying to save their friend. As was I. And if the others hadn’t been there, I likely would have killed Stain before I figured out my new technique. That would have been ugly._

“Were you all able to sleep?” Shoto asked.

 “No, not really.” Midoriya replied quietly.

 “I didn’t think so. Me neither.” Shoto said.

 Killua shrugged, “A bit.”

 Midoriya looked up in thought, “Thinking about it now, we did something amazing, huh?”

 “Yeah.” Shoto agreed.

 “Seeing an ending like that really makes you feel like it’s a miracle we’re alive. With my leg like this, he probably could have killed us if he wanted to” Midoriya added.

 “Yeah. We were obviously left alive on purpose.” Shoto turned to Iida. “You’re amazing to have been able to face him, with all that murderous intent directed towards you.”

 “No, that’s not it.” Iida began, “I-”

 The door opened, revealing Gran Torino and Manual.

 “Oh, are you wounded kids awake?” Gran Torino asked rhetorically.

 “Gran Torino!” Midoriya greeted.

 “Manual.” Iida stated.

 “I’ve got a lot of things to say to you, kid.” Gran Torino began to Midoriya, “But before that, you have a visitor.”

 A tall, dog-like person stepped through the door, wearing a crisp suit. For all Killua knew, it could actually be a dog.

 “The Hosu City Chief of Police, Kenji Tsuragamae.” Gran Torino introduced.

 Shoto, Iida and Killua all moved to stand. As Midoriya struggled to do the same, the Chief stopped him. “Oh, you can just stay seated, woof.”

 _Woof?_ Killua had to stop himself from showing any reaction.

 “You must be the U.A. students who brought down the hero killer, right?” The Chief asked.

 Killua could tell he already knew the answer to that, but Shoto replied hesitantly, “Yeah..”

 “Regarding the hero killer we arrested,” The Chief began, “He had fairly serious injuries. Prominently burns and broken bones, and is receiving treatment under strict guard, woof. Since you are U.A. students, I’m sure you already know that when Quirks came to be, governments and police worked to make sure that Quirks were not to be used as weapons. And then the profession of “hero” emerged. For an individual’s use of force and power that can easily kill others, actions that normally would be appropriate to denounce, to be accepted officially is thanks to early heroes who followed the ethics and rules of the profession, woof.

 Even against the Hero Killer, for uncertified individuals to cause injury with their Quirks without specific instruction from their guardians or supervisors is a clear violation of the rules. The four of you, and the pro heroes Endeavor, Manual, and Gran Torino must receive strict punishment.”

 “Wait a minute,” Shoto argued, “If Iida hadn’t done anything, Native would have been killed. If Midoriya hadn’t come, the two of them would’ve been killed. No one realized that the hero killer had appeared. Are you saying we should’ve followed the rules and watched people get killed?”

 “W-wait..” Midoriya tried to interrupt.

 “Are you saying that as long as it turns out all right, it’s okay to bend the rules?” The Police Chief countered.

 “Isn’t it a hero’s job to save people?” Shoto asked heatedly.

 “That is why you are not a full-fledged hero yet. Goodness, what are you being taught by U.A. and Endeavor, woof?” The Chief countered.

 Killua could tell that there was more to it, but even as it was he couldn’t think of a solid argument. Their survival could very well have boiled down to luck, and could have very quickly become not just one murder, but two or more. The Chief, from a purely logical standpoint, was correct. That didn’t make it any easier to hear the words, and Shoto was furious.

 “You dog!” Shoto accused as he began stomping towards the Chief.

 “Shoto, wait.” Killua interrupted coolly, keeping his voice controlled to contain his own frustration.

 Shoto stopped and turned to Killua impatiently.

 Killua shook his head, “Just let him finish. There’s more to it.”

 Shoto sighed, “Easy for you to stay calm, when you don’t even technically have a Quirk.”

 _That’s not it at all,_ Killua thought.

 The Chief cocked his head, but continued, “That was the official opinion of the police. And, the punishment and such would only happen if this were all made public, woof.”

 _So that’s what this is, then._ Killua realized.

 “If this were made public, you would probably be applauded by the public,” The Chief continued, “But you would not escape punishment. On the other hand, although it’s a bit underhanded, if it is not made public, the burn scars would support Endeavor being the hero who saved the day. It would end there, woof. Thankfully, there were very few witnesses. This violation could be crushed here, woof. But this would also mean no one would know about your good judgment or achievements. Which do you prefer?”

 “What about Killua?” Midoriya questioned. “Todoroki’s right, he technically doesn’t have a--”

 “Midoriya,” Killua cut him off with a glare of warning. He had no desire to take credit for this. He didn’t care about recognition. In fact, he would rather nobody knew he was apart of it at all. Being in the public eye had never appealed to him.

 “What are you saying?” The Chief demanded.

 Killua shook his head, responding before anyone else could. “It’s a long story, but it doesn’t matter.” He stated coldly. “I’m not a hero, and I still acted without permission.”

 Shoto was adamant, “But lightning can cause burns, right? It would be easy to--”

 “Todoroki!” Killua warned, growing irritated.

 “I thought you said he didn’t have a Quirk.” The Chief’s eyes narrowed.

 “He doesn’t.” Shoto and Midoriya confirmed at the same time.

 “Like I said!” Killua repeated icily. “A long story. One that is not being told. Rules are rules, so it doesn't matter.”

 “But it only applies to people with Quirks!” Shoto persisted.

 “And you really think people would believe that I don’t have a quirk when the hero killer is covered in burns and broken bones? You really think I want the whole world to know that I don’t belong here?” Killua’s voice was raised now. “You know about my past. I don’t _want_ attention. Let Endeavor take the credit. I’m not.”

 The two heroes, and the Chief, stared in confusion. Only the three students knew of his situation, after all. That just irritated Killua even more, but Shoto wasn’t letting it go.

 “The entire class knows. It won’t be a secret forever. Do you think my father would be happy taking credit for something he had no part of? Besides, you probably could have beaten the hero killer yourself. After watching you fight my father, I’m certain of it.”

 “Y-you what?” Midoriya and Iida stammered, but Killua ignored them.

 Killua gave Shoto a stone-cold glare, “And I would have had to kill him! What is your problem? I don’t want attention. That’s it. Why can’t you just accept that?”

 “Why can’t you accept that you _ _do__ belong here?” Shoto asked, his tone was quiet now, almost soft.

 “So that’s what this is about.” It wasn’t a question.

 “Killua, I was just trying to--” Shoto started.

 “Forget it.” Killua headed for the door. His voice was cold and hollow, and he felt his mood growing darker. “Let your father decide. I don’t care.”

 He pushed past the dumbfounded Police Chief and the two pro-heroes, not looking back as he walked through the hallways to leave. _If I didn’t leave just then, I would have lost control. Why is he pushing the issue so far? What did I do to him?_

He didn’t know it, but it wasn’t until he had turned a corner that the inhabitants of that room allowed themselves to breathe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or maybe my inner angst-junkie also might have just wanted to do some projecting.
> 
> But two teenagers with sketchy pasts that aren't exactly good with emotions, but still want to help? 
> 
> I think it would be less realistic for that friendship to be all sunshine and rainbows, woof.


	19. Realizations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as heavy as I thought it would turn out, but hopefully it helps clear some things up. Introspection is life.
> 
> Had to sprinkle some fun in there as well. You know, lighten it up a bit.

For the next day and into the next night, Killua ignored the calls and text messages that flooded his phone. He couldn’t bring himself to answer them. He had headed back to Musutafu by train immediately after he left the hospital, but he didn’t go back to Tsukauchi’s house. He needed to get his mind straight. And for that, he went to the rooftops and the cool night air. He leaped through the now-familiar Musutafu, taking his time as the familiar motions allowed his mind to wander.

_Shoto is normally calm and reserved. Calculated. What changed?_ The fight with Stain had the students shaken up, of course, but Killua didn’t think that was it. Maybe during the fight or directly afterward it would have made sense. But Shoto had been calm enough that morning, if a bit melancholy. The Police Chief’s words were frustrating, of course, but it shouldn’t have been unexpected. Even Killua knew they wouldn’t get out of it so easily. The end result was a slap on the wrist in comparison to what it could be, if Killua’s information on such matters was correct.

 For the students, at least. For Killua, it would depend on how Endeavor decided to handle it. Shoto’s words about his father bothered him. The student would know his father better than Killua, of course. If he decided he didn’t want to take credit for the fight, as Shoto had suggested, then that meant Killua’s identity and situation would be made public. Maybe not his situation, at first, but someone would say something about it. If that happened, the League of Villains would soon learn where his supposed loyalties lie. Surprisingly, that didn’t bother him as much as being in the public eye did.

_Is it because I didn’t follow him right away? Because I stayed behind to take care of the Nomu first?_ He didn’t think that was it, but it was a possibility. The students’ injuries weren’t severe, after all. Another minute or two likely wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Perhaps it was because Killua had refused to kill Stain, but he didn’t think that was it either.

_It would have ended the fight a lot faster, but Midoriya, Iida and Native would still have some injuries._ No, that wasn’t it. So what, then? His fight with Shoto’s father? The student hadn’t shown any sort of animosity towards him before that morning, however. Killua thought he had been even been friendly. Killua dismissed that possibility. _So what, then?_ He found himself recalling the conversation in the hospital word for word.

 The implication that he could take credit on it’s own wasn’t the problem, it was the persistence. Why would Shoto push so much for something that Killua made perfectly clear he didn’t want? It didn’t seem to be because he was thinking of his father. That point from Shoto had seemed almost an afterthought.

_“Why can’t you accept that you do belong here?”_

That question, and the tone Shoto had used, stuck with Killua. At first, it sounded like a petty comeback, but when he put more thought into the words and the tone of Shoto’s voice, it seemed as if Shoto was sad about it.

_It’s barely been two weeks since I was told that I’m stuck here._ Killua thought he was doing as well as one could expect someone in his situation to be. Better, even. They didn’t really think that he would just forget not just his entire life, but his entire world and all the people he knew, did they? The thought alone just made Killua even more irritated. And how would taking credit publicly for beating Stain be helpful to him?

_Because he doesn’t understand._ Killua was an assassin, trained his whole life to stay in the shadows, unseen. His livelihood had relied on that. Sure, his family had been known, but they didn’t have big news stories about them. They also didn’t have to move through the public like Killua had to do in this world.

 Killua didn’t have to be an assassin anymore, of course, but he couldn’t help the instincts that were ingrained in him. He couldn’t help that he always kept himself distant. Except with Gon. And even though he liked the students well enough, they weren’t Gon. They never would be. Killua wasn’t looking for another Gon.

The sun had started to peek over the horizon, and Killua decided he would bite the bullet and head back to Tsukauchi’s house. He wasn’t looking forward to navigating that conversation. He had already decided that he shouldn’t tell the story at least until he knew which story broke the news.

 He arrived at Tsukauchi’s house just after sunrise, and he noted with disappointment that Tsukauchi was home. He used his own key to unlock the door, as the detective always kept his home securely locked, before entering and announcing himself. “I’m back!”

 Tsukauchi flew around the corner, his face projecting both concern and relief. “Killua! What happened? Why haven’t you answered your phone? Everyone’s been trying to get ahold of you since the news broke!”

__Oh no.__  Killua barely kept his expression and tone neutral, “What news?”

 Tsukauchi’s face flashed with surprise, “About the Hero Killer, what else would it be?”

 Killua was too tired to dance around this conversation. He rubbed his tired eyes and sighed heavily, “Of course. What did they say?”

 Tsukauchi noticed his tone and studied him critically. “Are you injured?”

 “Just a shallow cut. What did they say?”

 Tsukauchi sighed, “Endeavor did an interview about it yesterday. He told them that while on patrol, the three of you stumbled upon the Nomus and jumped in to defend the city and it’s citizens. You, who he referred to as Anomaly, got separated. That you stumbled upon the Hero Killer, who had been about to kill the hero Native in an alley, and single-handedly defeated him.”

 Tsukauchi cleared his throat and studied Killua’s face for a moment before continuing, “When faced with criticism, he went on a rant about the dire nature of the situation, and went on to say that he knew from personal experience how strong you were, even without technically having a quirk. The news stations and the public loved it.”

 Killua tried to keep his face neutral, but he was panicked. “Did he give my real name?”

 Tsukauchi frowned and shook his head, “He didn’t, but somehow the information leaked. Several news stations were given anonymous information about a mysterious young hero from another world that’s affiliated with U.A. They’ll be flooded with reporters all day. I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time before everything is public. They’re already going crazy about you.”

 Killua gave a heavy sigh, and sat down on the couch with his head in his hands.

 Tsukauchi sat down next to him, looking at him with concern. “That’s not really what happened, is it?”

 Killua looked up at him, “If I tell you, it stays between us.”

 Tsukauchi studied him for a moment before nodding, “It’s out of my jurisdiction. I have no legal obligation to disclose the information.”

 Despite the gravity of the situation, Killua couldn’t help but smile at the man’s professional statement. He appreciated it. “That’s not at all how it happened…”

 He told Tsukauchi how the events really unfolded, from their arrival on the scene to the mysterious location that Midoriya sent and their suspicions regarding it, all the way through the fight itself and the meeting with the police chief the morning after. The only information he didn’t feel he had a right to give was his more personal conversations with Shoto regarding his father.

 Tsukauchi had a troubled look on his face, but was relieved to hear that everyone would make a full recovery. His eyes widened and his mouth tightened at the mention of the police chief’s underhanded deal, but he said nothing. When Killua expressed his doubts about Shoto, Tsukauchi thought for a moment before giving insight.

 “It seems to me that he was trying to be helpful, albeit in a misguided way.” Tsukauchi held up a hand as Killua tried to interject. “Hear me out. Knowing your past and understanding it are two different things. To him, it probably seemed like getting recognition would help you feel welcome. You did say that you were trying to put that past behind you, after all.”

 Killua thought about it for a moment. He supposed it made sense, but he wasn’t entirely convinced. “But why then? And why was he so insistent?”

 Tsukauchi shook his head, “I can’t say, but it might be because he would feel more comfortable with at least one of you getting the recognition you deserve. Or maybe he didn’t like the idea of his father taking credit. Maybe both.”

_He did say his father wouldn’t like taking credit for something he didn’t do. I can’t say I blame him._ Killua sighed. “Maybe he meant well, but I made it clear that isn’t what I wanted.”

 Tsukauchi gave him a sympathetic look, “That’s a conversation you should have with him. That’s what friends do, after all.”

 “We aren’t friends.” Killua said stubbornly.

 Tsukauchi cocked his head, “Oh. Got it. That’s why you call him by his first name.”

 Killua shot him a glare and was met with an overly innocent smile. He sighed. “Now what do I do?”

 Tsukauchi thought for a moment, then gave a small shrug. “Unless you want to go into hiding, which I hope you don’t, I don’t think there’s much you can do but try to accept it. The story is too big now for the news or the public to let go of it. You’re a minor, however, so if they harass you too much you can threaten to sue them.”

 Killua shook his head, “Great. Now I have a target on my back.”

 “What’s new?” Tsukauchi flashed a mischievous grin. “Besides, being popular doesn’t have to be so bad. All-Might can give you some pointers.”

 Killua groaned, “All-Might isn’t an assassin!”

 Tsukauchi shrugged, “That’s true, but I’m fairly certain that most assassins don’t risk their own lives to help other people. I could be wrong, though.”

Killua sighed, “You’re not,” He admitted grudgingly, “but I’m not a hero either.”

 Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow. “You say that, but your actions say otherwise.”

 Killua gave him a exaggerated glare. “You aren’t going to let this go, are you?”

 Tsukauchi smiled, “Nope. If you want to go get cleaned up, go ahead. We’re having a guest over.”

 Killua cocked his head, “Who?”

 Tsukauchi shrugged, “A friend.”

 “Does he happen to be famous?”

 Tsukauchi smiled and said nothing.

 Killua groaned as he grabbed fresh clothes and entered the bathroom. He removed his dirty clothes, making sure to set aside the fire-resistant bodysuit that Endeavor gave him. Since he wouldn’t be returning to finish the internship, he figured he would be expected to return it. He worked on setting his thoughts straight as he took his shower.

 Most of what Tsukauchi said made sense. He kicked himself for so quickly assuming that Shoto had been malicious in his suggestion, but he would have to have that conversation with him anyways. Not that it would make any difference to his situation, but hopefully it would help prevent more misunderstandings down the line.

_I guess we are friends,_ Killua admitted. He felt a pang of guilt at that, but he knew it was irrational. Why would he feel guilty? Gon would like Shoto, and Killua wouldn’t want Gon to feel guilty about making new friends back home. He hoped he did, actually. Someone would have to bail his reckless friend out and yell at him for rushing in blindly. Just like Killua had seemed to find himself doing here.

 Killua hated the idea of being in the spotlight for any reason, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Like Tsukauchi said, all he could really do is try to accept it. Of course he would avoid the attention whenever he could, but he would deal with it. After everything else he’d dealt with, he could handle it, couldn’t he?

 He finished his shower and got out to get dressed. He felt a little better, but he couldn’t help feeling that he was out of place. But who wouldn’t? As he dressed, he heard conversation floating through the door, telling him that their “guest” had arrived. He already knew it would be All-Might, probably in his shrunken form to preserve his power.

 Killua redressed his cut, though it was minor and already beginning to heal cleanly, before leaving the bathroom to greet Toshinori, who was in the kitchen conversing with Tsukauchi. Indeed, he was preserving his power. Killua walked in and waved.

 “Ah, Killua! It’s good to see that you’re alright. Though you’ve managed to make quite bit of noise, I must say.” Toshinori exclaimed.

 Killua shrugged and let out a sigh, “Not by choice.”

 Toshinori nodded, “So I’ve heard. I’m sorry that your situation was leaked like that. Do you have any idea where the information came from?”

 “I have a few ideas, but it could be anyone. If I had to guess, though, it wasn’t a student.”

 Toshinori sighed. “Yes, that would be my guess as well.”

 Killua nodded, “If they didn’t figure it out already, they know now where my loyalties lie. And they aren’t happy about it. Putting me into the open helps them keep an eye on me.”

 Toshinori agreed, “My guess is that they were hoping the public would be outraged, but it didn’t work.”

 Killua shook his head, “I haven’t seen it yet, but Tsukauchi said they’re loving it.”

 Toshinori nodded in confirmation, “They’re all scrambling to get every bit of information they can. Several platforms mentioned wanting to interview you.”

 Killua flinched, “No. Not gonna happen.”

 Tsukauchi grinned and Toshinori laughed, “Well, enough of that for now. Besides the obvious, how did the rest of the internship go?”

 “Well, there was only the first day, technically, since I left the next morning.”

 Toshinori raised an eyebrow, “It’s been two days since then.”

 “A lot happened. I needed to clear my head.”

 Toshinori nodded after a moment, “I see. Well, what was it like meeting Endeavor?”

 Killua shrugged, “Interesting, to say the least.”

 Toshinori raised an eyebrow, “How so?”

 Killua grinned at the memory, “We almost leveled the entire building by fighting in his office.”

 Toshinori coughed up blood and Tsukauchi’s face turned pale white. Killua forgot to mention that part earlier.

 “What?” They both demanded.

 Killua told them about the whole fight, including Shoto stepping in with the ice wall that exploded and the conversation with Endeavor afterwards.

 Tsukauchi was floored, “All that, and you were still holding back?”

 Killua nodded, “Just a little. I didn’t want to kill him. He held back, too.”

 Suddenly, All-Might had shifted into his muscle-form and was grinning widely, “And you said it was even?”

 Killua and Tsukauchi flinched back a bit at the hero’s sudden change. “Um… Pretty close.”

 All-Might let out a booming laugh, “Impressive!”

 The hero’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Killua couldn’t help but grin. “If only it had been _after_ the fight with Stain. I figured out something new.”

 “Did you?” All-Might was intrigued, and he leaned closer. “What is it?”

 Tsukauchi rolled his eyes and sighed.

 Killua smiled and shook his head, “I was going to ask Ectoplasm to help me test it more. We got a little carried away last time, though. So if you wanted to supervise…”

 All-Might laughed, “I heard about that! Yes, I would be happy to!”

 “Okay! I’ll ask him tomorrow.”

 All-Might nodded, and switched back to his normal form. “Good! Now, I’m afraid I have to go. I have a meeting about a certain mysterious young hero to prepare for.”

 Killua blanched, causing Toshinori and Tsukauchi to laugh.

 Toshinori headed for the door, but Killua heard him stop, “Oh, and Killua?”

 “Yeah?” Killua called back.

 “If I have to go out in public and don’t want to be recognized, what should I do?” He asked.

 “Wear a disguise.” Killua replied quickly. _Oh, right._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a dad-talk as well. Except it's not his real dad so he actually listens.
> 
> Baby steps! Although since I exist it's probably more like three steps forward, two steps back. 
> 
> Feelings are hard give me a break xD


	20. Assurances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 20 chapters! Woo! Honestly, I'm surprised we made it this far, but it's so worth it!  
> And there's still a lot left to go, even just considering current canon content. Taking that into account and adding some more original stuff we're about...halfway? xD
> 
> Both as a bit of celebration and lack of a good place to split it up, here's a longer chapter. Almost 4000 words. 
> 
> Thank you guys for your continued support! I probably would have deleted this story multiple times over if it wasn't for your kind words! Love you all!

 Killua woke up early the next morning, having had decided to go to bed in the mid-afternoon after making a few texts and calls to let everyone know that he had arrived back in Musutafu safely. The members of the class that weren’t aware of the real story, along with some of the teachers, expressed their shock and amazement at what he had accomplished. Of course, some of the teachers scolded him for being reckless.

 Not knowing what else to do, Killua left a note for Tsukauchi that he would be going out. He didn’t feel the need to go with a full disguise, but he decided to play it safe and dress low-profile. He wore his dark-blue hoodie without the usual white t-shirt over it, a pair of jeans and his normal shoes. He doubted he would be recognized solely by his shoes. It would be dark for a while yet, and the hood would obscure his hair and most of his face.

 Killua headed out. He had a few things to do later in the day, but an early start wasn’t unusual for him. He was used to skipping nights of sleep anyways, so this was nothing. He wanted to be at U.A. by the time classes began. Class 1-A would all still be at their internships, so he wouldn’t run in to any students he knew particularly well. He knew he would have a lot of questions to answer before he would get a chance to practice his new technique with Ectoplasm and All-Might, so the earlier he arrived, the better.

 Killua had seen a repeat of the news story later on in the day yesterday, and it was just about exactly how Tsukauchi had explained it to be. Except Tsukauchi hadn’t explained how little Endeavor looked like he wanted to be there. He was the most popular hero on the scene, however, so of course he was the one the news went to for answers. Killua still found himself wishing the man had just decided to take credit for taking down the hero killer, as selfish as that was.

_“All you can really do is try to accept it.”_

Killua decided to take Tsukauchi’s advice. He wouldn’t seek the attention, of course. In fact, he would still avoid it when possible, but he would do his best not to shy away from it if it came his way. Trying to fight the inevitable was pointless, and would just stress him out more than accepting it would. And perhaps he could do more good with his new reputation than he would without it.

 If all else failed, he could just disguise himself and disappear from the public eye. That realization gave him comfort, and a sense of freedom he hadn’t felt in a long time. That freedom helped to lessen the pain of recent events. It wasn’t a cure, of course, but it was invigorating. He almost viewed it as a fresh start.

 He was to meet with Shoto and Endeavor later that evening to discuss the events. He wasn’t looking forward to it, but It was necessary. Shoto had said in their short conversation that Endeavor wanted to speak with him about it, and that the man was disappointed that Killua had decided not to continue with the internship. Killua wasn’t concerned about that, but he didn’t want to be overly rude. He didn’t technically have to do an internship at all. He did it because he was interested. Perhaps if he ever decided to pursue the education in this world and attend the school, he would be required to, but his position thus far was tentative at best.

 The teachers and heroes that knew him wanted him to be a hero as well, of course. He would, if given the option, but he wasn’t entirely concerned with it. That wasn’t his priority at the moment. He needed time to adjust to this new world. Throwing himself into everything at once would just be a distraction, and that would lead to more trouble down the line. He had seen first-hand how busy some of the pro heroes were.

 Killua leaped through the city by rooftop, as usual, keeping his eye out for trouble but not necessarily looking for it. He was just cautious by nature. That, at least, would never change.

 Of course, it’s usually when you don’t want trouble that you find it. As if on cue, he spotted a man running down the street being chased by police officers. He couldn’t tell what the man’s quirk was, if he had one, but he was outrunning the officers. Killua determined that if the man had a useful quirk, he would have be using it already. Either he didn’t have one, or it wasn’t suited to these situations.

 Killua leaped across the rooftops, picking up the pace to catch up. He passed the criminal and dropped down to the ground in front of him. The man started, trying to throw a punch at Killua, but Killua easily sidestepped and grabbed his arm. He used the criminals own momentum to flip him over and onto the ground, before twisting his arm behind his back to hold him there while the officers caught up.

 They caught up quickly, and Killua let them take over. They thanked him for the assistance, and he simply nodded. As he was about leap for the rooftops again one of the officers stopped him.

 “Wait! What’s your name?” The officer asked.

 “Anomaly.” Killua replied simply.

 Their faces flashed with recognition, but Killua was gone before they could say more.

_So much for not seeking attention. Stupid._  But he knew it didn’t matter. He wasn’t wearing anything remarkable, and his face and hair were mostly hidden. A name-drop wouldn’t hurt. They probably wouldn’t even believe him.

 It helped that being mysterious was always fun. It wouldn’t hurt to have some fun.

 Killua continued his travels through the city. The sun had already begun to come up, so he decided to head to U.A. He altered his path to head in that direction as he further considered his situation. His name was well known now, first his new hero name and then his real name as well. However, he realized there were so many pro-heroes in this city that were even more popular than he would ever be. It was highly likely that one of the top heroes would do something to take over the news sooner or later, and that would push Killua to the back of everyone’s mind.

 His reaction to the situation initially been irrational, he concluded. One event wouldn’t keep him in the spotlight forever. Maybe the public wouldn’t forget about him, but they wouldn’t be obsessed with him for long. It was up to him to either further raise his reputation or let it fade into the background. His first instinct was to let it fade, but he wasn’t too sure anymore.

 He wasn’t a hero yet, of course. He would have to get his provisional license before anything, and then go through whatever processes they needed to go through to prove himself. He hadn’t taken the time to look into that yet. If he did eventually become a fully licensed hero, he would likely have to be a sidekick for at least a while to prove himself once again.

 He also realized, however, that a good reputation could precede him and help immensely during that time. That was likely far into the future, but it would be foolish not to consider his options. Perhaps he could keep that in mind and use that to his advantage.

 Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

 He arrived at the gates of U.A. once again, and decided to head straight to Principal Nezu’s office. Killua had no doubt that the Principal would want to speak with him about the events, and Killua quickly made sure that his story would align with Endeavor’s. He thought of a few harmless differences he could add in to make it more believable than just a reiteration of the hero had already said.

 He arrived at his destination shortly, and knocked on the door. A voice called for him to enter, so he did, and noticed that a few of the teachers, specifically Ectoplasm, Midnight, and Vlad King, had been discussing something with the Principal.

 “Oh,” Killua started. “Am I interrupting?”

 “Not at all, Killua!” Nezu assured. “In fact, we had been discussing our new celebrity!”

 Killua groaned, earning a few chuckles from the four of them.

 “Please, take a seat.” Nezu insisted.

 Killua did so, and waited for them to ask their inevitable questions.

 “So, was it really as simple as Endeavor suggested?” Nezu asked, studying Killua closely.

 Killua shook his head, “No, not exactly. For one, I was much less confident than he seemed to be. It wasn’t easy.”

 Nezu hummed thoughtfully, “I see. But you don’t seem to have been seriously injured.”

 Killua shook his head, “No. One shallow cut. But that’s where it got complicated.”

 The four teachers raised their eyebrows questioningly.

_They didn’t hear?_ “The hero killer’s quirk allows him to paralyze anyone by tasting their blood.”

 Their eyes widened at that, and they shared look before Nezu asked, “How did you overcome that?”

 Killua rubbed his neck, “Well, I finally figured out something new.”

 Ectoplasm’s deep, hollow voice rang with curiosity. “Oh? What was it?”

 “Remember when you tried to catch me unaware outside that one day?”

 The hero nodded, “I do.”

 Killua shrugged, “I finally connected the dots. I was able to block so fast because the electricity stimulated my nerves, and my muscle memory. I was able to use that to block his attacks even while I couldn’t make my body move normally.”

 Their eyes widened at the development. Ectoplasm hummed in consideration, “Interesting indeed.”

 “I was also able to expand on that, into something else. That’s how I beat him. I was going to ask you to help me test it further today, actually.”

 Ectoplasm nodded, “I’d be happy to help.”

 “Oh, also.. I promised All-Might that he could watch.” Killua added.

 That earned him a few curious looks. Nezu decided to ask, “Oh? When did you speak with All-Might?”

 Killua shrugged, “I ran into him yesterday. I.. needed some advice.”

 The implication, and his hesitation, earned a few amused smiles.

 Ectoplasm nodded, “I’m free for most of the day, so just give me a time and we can meet.”

 Nezu cleared his throat, “This time, preferably not in plain sight of all of the students.”

 Killua blushed a little bit, and rubbed the back of his neck, “Sorry..”

 Ectoplasm shook his head, “No, it was my fault. Now,” He began, changing the subject, “Endeavor. Why did he sound so confident in your abilities?”

 Killua gave a small smile. “Oh, that? We had a bit of a sparring match in his office.”

 Vlad cocked his head at that, “How did that happen?”

 Killua shrugged, “He wanted to see what I could do before we went out on patrol.”

 Vlad nodded after a moment, “And how did it go?”

 Killua told the story again, not seeing any real reason not to. Anything that would steer the conversation away from the Stain fight as welcome at this point.

 When he finished, the teachers seemed mildly upset, with the exception of Ectoplasm, who’s expression was unreadable. Nezu cleared his throat, “I find it troubling that the #2 hero would deem it appropriate to use his quirk at full power against his own intern. A student, no less.”

 Killua shrugged, “We both got a little carried away. When he told Shoto that he would go easy on me, I decided to make sure that he couldn’t. Unless he wanted to lose.”

 Nezu shook his head, “Regardless, the #2 hero shouldn’t be getting carried away against a child.”

 “Now,” Ectoplasm cut in, “Normally, yes. But we’re not talking about a normal child here. I can attest to that.”

 Nezu wasn’t going to give it up, “It still doesn’t sit well with me. Perhaps it is better that you decided not to complete the internship.”

 Killua felt like this was going to be trouble, “It wasn’t that bad. I’ve been in far worse fights.”

 Nezu shook his head, “I’m not doubting you, but just because there has been worse doesn’t mean that this was okay.”

 Killua sighed, “I’m meeting with them later today to discuss the situation. I’ll handle it.”

 Nezu studied him skeptically for a moment before relenting, “Fine. But be careful with him.”

 Killua smiled as he nodded, “If it helps, I’m pretty sure I can win now.”

_Not long ago, “pretty sure” would have had me running._ Killua wondered at the thought, but pushed it away. He wasn’t that person anymore.

 Nezu shook his head, “I can’t say that is very reassuring. Quite the opposite. You sound almost eager to find out.”

 Killua waved his hands in the air, “No, no. That’s not it. I’m just saying you don’t have to worry about me.”

 Nezu sighed, “Well, if you’re certain, I’ll leave it to you.” He held a hand up as Killua nodded. “However! If another incident like that happens, we will be forced to step in.”

 Killua nodded, “It won’t happen again.”

 Nezu nodded, “Good. Now, I believe that’s all we needed to ask. Thank you for meeting with us to confirm the details. We’ll let the two of you get to your training.”

 Both Ectoplasm and Killua stood and began to head for the door.

 “Oh,” Nezu added, “Do try not to get carried away this time.”

 Killua nodded, “It’s fine, we’ll have All-Might to supervise!”

 “That’s what I’m worried about.” Nezu finished.

 Killua and Ectoplasm shared a look before they left.

 “So,” Ectoplasm began, “You’re that confident that you could win if it came to it. Is your new move that strong?”

 Killua nodded, “Just how strong is still a mystery, though. Also, I don’t know how long I can use it for. I would like to get a better idea of both so I know what area to improve on first.”

 Ectoplasm nodded thoughtfully, “And you said you used it against the hero killer?”

 “Yeah. It allowed me to finish the fight almost instantly. It was risky, though.”

 Ectoplasm looked down towards Killua, “How so?”

 “Not knowing how strong it is. If it had been too strong, I could have killed him rather than just injuring him.”

 Ectoplasm hummed in consideration, “I see. Is that why you aren’t testing it on All-Might?”

 Killua hid his surprise at the man’s observation, “Yeah. He seemed excited after I mentioned that Endeavor and I had a close fight.”

 Ectoplasm chuckled deeply and shook his head, “That doesn’t surprise me.”

 Killua grinned, “Me neither. He sounded disappointed, but the logic was clear. He settled for being able to watch.”

 Ectoplasm nodded, “I must say, both our current and future heroes could stand to learn a lot from your cautious nature.”

 Killua shrugged, “It wasn’t always a good thing. If you’re too cautious, you won’t act at all. I learned that the hard way.”

 Ectoplasm kept looking at him, as if sensing a story behind that, but he didn’t press. Killua felt comfortable around the teacher. He seemed to know exactly how to help without being too intrusive. He appreciated that, especially as of late. He couldn’t help but wonder at the teacher’s past, but he decided to respect the man’s privacy in turn.

 “Ah, there you are!” A deep, boisterous voice called out before All-Might landed heavily on the ground next to them.

 “All-Might. I’m glad you could join us,” Ectoplasm stated. “Here to make sure we don’t get carried away?”

 “Yes, of course!” All-Might exclaimed. “That’s why I’m here!”

 Killua shared a look with Ectoplasm and had to hold back a laugh.

 “Well, here we are.” Ectoplasm stated as they entered a large training facility. “Now, how would you like to test your new move?”

 “Well, that depends.” Killua began. “How many clones are you comfortable using at once?”

 Ectoplasm hummed in thought. “I can do up to about 26, but I would prefer not to go above 20. Just in case.”

 Killua considered for a moment, “20 would be perfect, if you don’t mind.”

 Ectoplasm nodded, “Just a moment, then.”

 Killua looked to All-Might, “Would you mind timing how long it takes me to take down all the clones?”

 All-Might raised an eyebrow, “All 20?”

 Killua nodded.

 All-Might grinned, taking his phone out to open a timer. “Sure thing! I’ll count you down whenever you’re ready.”

 Killua noted the clones and looked to Ectoplasm, who nodded. Killua took a deep breath, using his __Hatsu,__  as he normally would. Except this time he focused his aura inwards, ingraining the electricity into his own body to stimulate his muscles and nerves. After a moment, his hair spiked up and began glowing a bright white, along with the rest of his body. Feeling the surge of power, he looked over and nodded to All-Might, “Ready.”

 All-Might nodded, “Okay! 3…”

 “2…”

 “1…”

 “Go!”

 Time slowed down as Killua let his instincts take over. He shot forward into the clones and began his onslaught. He jumped from clone to clone, his body automatically throwing chops, punches, elbows, and kicks as he went. Without his own thoughts to hold him back, his body was free to do what it already knew would be best for each situation, and he flowed smoothly from target to target, destroying the clones with ease.

 “...Time?”

 Killua stopped after the clones had been taken out, and looked to All-Might.

 Who was staring at him with his mouth wide open, agape.

 Killua looked over to Ectoplasm, who was also just staring at him.

 “Well?” Killua asked, “How long did it take?”

 All-Might swallowed, “Um.. 4.16 seconds.”

 Killua put his finger to his chin in thought, “So 5 clones per second. 5 strikes per second, plus movement. On a stationary target, I could probably double the hits. Cool!”

 All-Might and Ectoplasm shared a look, and Ectoplasm made a coughing sound, “Yeah.. cool.”

 Killua nodded quickly, “Yeah! It’s just about as fast as my assassin-mode, except I can keep going and I don’t have to be determined to kill anyone!”

 All-Might took a moment to collect himself, but then he grinned widely and belted out a laugh. “Yeah, cool is right! That’s some power you got there! No wonder the hero killer didn’t stand a chance!”

 Ectoplasm shook his head, “Yeah.. no kidding. And in such a short time…”

 Killua shrugged, “I mean, I just needed to put the pieces together and it clicked. Now I just need to know how long I can keep it up. Obviously making use of it will make me run of out aura faster, but I should have a baseline first. Then I can test it with just running…”

 He trailed off as he considered the tests he would have to do. Unfortunately, the clones had all went down in one hit, so he couldn’t do an extended combat test. He could ask All-Might, as the man would surely be able to take a beating, but he didn’t want to run the risk of the hero losing more time with his power because of him. He would have to test his longevity with running alone. Or maybe by breaking walls if Cementoss would be willing to help.

 “I must ask,” Ectoplasm brought him out of his thoughts, “That with that power.. surely your potential wasn’t common in your world?”

 Killua shook his head as a memory came back to him, “My friend Gon and I… Our teacher told us that we were one-in-ten-million talents. One’s that came about once every few generations. I always thought he had been exaggerating.”

 All-Might cleared his throat, “I don’t think he was. You were already able to contend with the #2 hero, and you’re still a teenager. That was before this new development, no less.”

 Killua nodded, and the two stared at each other for a while.

 Ectoplasm made a sound as if he was clearing his throat, “No. Absolutely not.”

 All-Might and Killua both faked a heavy sigh and grinned at each other widely.

 “What were you able to see, All-Might?” Killua asked curiously.

 All-Might shook his head, “Just a bunch of flashes, and then the clones were gone.”

 Killua looked up in thought, imagining how their fight would go.

 All-Might laughed, “Unfortunately, that will have to remain purely theoretical.”

 Killua grinned, “It would depend on how long this power lasted. I don’t think I could do enough damage to take you down before I ran out of time. Not yet, anyways.”

 All-Might grinned widely, “I must admit that I’ve been having my worries lately, but…” He placed his hand on Killua’s shoulder. “I think the future is in good hands.”

 Ectoplasm nodded in agreement, then looked at Killua thoughtfully, “I assume that’s what we would call your ultimate move. Any ideas on what to call it?”

 Killua thought about it for a moment, then nodded, _“Godspeed.”_


	21. Epiphanies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo I heard you like dialogue (no I didn't), so I put some dialogue with some more dialogue and that's literally all this is.
> 
> But I think it's good. Hopefully it clears some things up and connects some dots.

 Later on that day, Killua found himself outside of the Todoroki residence. It was a large home of traditional style and design, which Killua found to be a refreshing change from the more prevalent modern style. He knocked politely on the door and waited, idly looking through his phone until he noticed he had a message from Tsukauchi.

 Before he could check it, however, the door opened to reveal Shoto. “Hey.” Shoto greeted coolly. “Come in.”

 Killua stepped in, removing his shoes and sliding his feet into slippers before he entered further. He followed Shoto further into the house, and was lead to what Killua assumed was a training room that had clearly seen frequent use. With the skills that both Endeavor and Shoto had frequently displayed, he could see the benefits of having such a space in their home.

 Shoto, however, appeared increasingly uncomfortable. Killua could understand that, knowing his friend’s past and remembering his own. Memories of his own childhood training flashed through his memory, but he pushed them down. There was no use dwelling on the past, he told himself. Especially when that life was quite literally behind him. _There’s nothing to gain from it. I learned what I needed to learn. Just push forward._

They were met inside by Endeavor, who appeared to have been waiting for them. The #2 hero turned around to study Killua as they entered, and Shoto stopped them a few feet in front of the man. Killua  gave a respectful bow in greeting before he studied the man in response, looking for any signs as to how this meeting would go.

 “I must admit,” Endeavor began gruffly, “That I was disappointed when I had heard that you had left after the.. incident. Without a word or a trace, no less.”

 “A lot of things became clear to me that night,” Killua glanced at Shoto, who looked down and away to avoid his gaze, before turning back to look Endeavor in the eyes. “And the next morning. It was better for return to Musutafu.”

 Endeavor harrumphed, “I see. Did you forget that, given you were - and still are - under my internship, your well-being falls under my responsibility?”

 Killua’s face betrayed nothing, and he kept his tone cool and unassuming. “Did that cross your mind when you tried reducing me to ashes?”

 Endeavor’s eyes narrowed, and his frown deepened. “You had the option to wear the fire-resistant suit. You chose not to.”

 Killua agreed, but didn’t back down. “I did, but some would say that a child’s safety shouldn’t be left up to the child.”

 Endeavor studied Killua closely, “Some, meaning who exactly?”

“Principal Nezu.”

 Endeavor gave a derisive snort, “So the top hero school expects coddled children to rise to the top by having their hands held the whole way.”

 Killua couldn’t disagree, but the man was being short-sighted. “Yes and no. Most of the students haven’t been… prepared for that future before this. Not as Shoto and I have been.”

 Shoto flinched at the implication, and Endeavor’s eyes narrowed. When he spoke, his voice was low and dangerous. “Shoto, leave us.”

 Shoto glanced at Killua, his eyes wide. Killua looked at him and nodded. He would be fine.

 Shoto left hesitantly, leaving Killua alone with Endeavor.

 They two stared at each other for a time, studying the other. Killua let nothing show. Endeavor’s expression, however, was conflicted.

 The man cleared his throat. “You and my son are.. friends, correct?”

 That wasn’t where Killua was expecting the conversation to go.

 “Yeah,” Killua replied hesitantly. “At least, I think so.”

 Endeavor raised an eyebrow, “You think so?”

 Killua nodded, “He keeps his distance.”

 Endeavor considered for a moment, “I see. What drew you to him?”

 Killua thought about it for a moment, “He’s cold and calculated. Observant. He knew I was hiding something.”

 “And you knew he was, as well.” It wasn’t a question.

 Killua wasn’t sure how much he should say, but he nodded. “We’re similar, in a lot of ways.”

 Endeavor gave a short nod. “You said you were.. raised to be an assassin, correct?”

 Killua only nodded.

 Endeavor studied him, his eyes taking on a look that Killua couldn’t quite place. “I know it’s not possible, but if you had the chance to go home.. would you?”

 Killua’s heart ached, but he pushed the feeling away. “Back to my world, yes. But I wouldn’t go home.”

 Endeavor tilted his head curiously, “Why not?”

 Killua shook his head at the memories. He knew what the man was getting at. “I was raised for one purpose. I left to make my own. There was love there, but it was the lowest priority. In my family, emotions are a mistake. Feelings, a distraction. Friends are a liability. I refused to live like that.”

 Endeavor’s expression hadn’t changed, but his face was more pale than usual. He cleared his throat. “And your father trained you?”

 Killua nodded, “Mostly, yes.”

 “Do you have any good memories of your father?” Endeavor sounded as if he didn’t want to hear the answer.

 Killua gave a short nod, “One. When I left for the last time, to go with my friends. He asked me about my experiences and laughed at my stories. Before I left, he told me that my friends are important, and made me promise to never betray them.” Killua swallowed the lump in his throat. “And even then, he was probably thinking of how the experience would make me a better assassin. Better to take over as heir of the family. Because that’s what came first, always.”

 Endeavor’s face fell at the second part, and he looked away, appearing lost in thought. Silence fell and stretched on, but Killua had no intention of breaking it. He waited, expecting a dismissal at any moment.

 “It’s my fault, isn’t it?” Endeavor spoke suddenly. Quietly. His voice was thick and rough, as if he dreaded the answer.

 Killua hesitated at the man’s tone. In front of him was a man facing a harsh truth. Facing the thoughts and feelings of a child raised for one purpose above all else. The potential outcomes and consequences that such a narrow field of view can bring. For the first time he was seeing emotions that may very well mirror those of his own son. Thoughts that were buried deep. Thoughts that were tainting the soil and rotting that growth from the roots. A twisted seed that he himself had planted.

 Killua couldn’t bring himself to lie, nor could he think of anything helpful to say. He wasn’t sure if he should. The man appeared to already know the answer, but needed to hear it. So his reply was simple, and his voice was somber.

 “Yes.”

 Endeavor nodded gravely. “I see.” The man turned around and took a few steps away. It was odd, seeing such a proud man move with an unsure step, shoulders slumped and head lowered.

 Killua took it as a dismissal, and didn’t dare intrude further, so he turned to leave. As he was about to reach the door, Endeavor’s voice, gravelly and quiet, stopped him.

 “Tell Shoto that.. I’m not to be disturbed.” Endeavor said regretfully. “And thank you. For.. opening my eyes.”

 Killua nodded, knowing the man wouldn’t see it, and shut the door quietly on his way out.

 

 ____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Killua found Shoto waiting nearby, and moved over to meet him. Shoto had whipped his head around when Killua came into view, and his eyes were wide as if he had been panicking. His friend hurried over and opened his mouth to speak, but Killua shook his head and nodded towards the front door.

 Shoto nodded hesitantly, and they slipped into their shoes in silence. In moments, they were heading outside. Shoto shut the door and followed Killua away from the house a ways before he grabbed Killua’s arm. “Killua, what happened? What’s going on?”

 Killua gently pulled his arm away, “Shoto, relax. He told me he didn’t wish to be disturbed, so I figured it would be better for us to talk outside.”

 Shoto relaxed a bit. “What did he want? He looked really angry. I was worried that--”

 Killua held up a hand to stop him, “He just wanted to talk about the situation. And.. other things.”

 Shoto tilted his head, “Like what?”

 Killua sighed, “Look, we’re friends, right?”

 Shoto’s eyes widened in surprise, but he nodded. “Yeah.”

 Killua gave a small smile, “Then trust me. We should respect your father’s privacy on this one. He.. probably needs some time.”

 Shoto frowned, and his face was worried. “..Okay.”

 Killua tried to give a comforting smile, “It’ll be fine, I promise.”

 Shoto nodded, then looked away in thought for a moment before looking back. “I.. want to apologize. For being so inconsiderate. I just thought…” He trailed off.

 “That it would help?” Killua suggested.

 Shoto nodded, “Yeah… sorry.”

 Killua shrugged, “It’s fine. Just.. talk to me beforehand next time, okay?”

 Shoto nodded after a moment.

 Killua smiled mischievously, deciding to break up the tension a bit. “Besides.. Maybe it won’t be so bad, after all. Being a mysterious hero from another world could be fun.”

 Shoto gave a small laugh and shook his head. “Really?”

 Killua nodded, still grinning. “Yeah. And if all else fails, I’m really good at disguises.”

 Shoto smiled at that, “Going to come to class looking different every day?”

 Killua shrugged, “Maybe.”

 Shoto shook his head, “Have you talked to the teachers yet?”

 “Yeah,” Killua began. “I went to see them this morning. The story is the same, but I changed a few things. You should have seen the look on their faces when I told them about that sparring match.”

 Shoto’s eyes widened, “You told them?”

 “Yeah. They asked, and I needed to take their attention off of the fight with Stain.” Killua sighed. “Nezu sounded as if he wanted to take action, and really didn’t like the idea of me meeting with your father again, unsupervised. It took a lot of assurances to get them to let me handle it.”

 Shoto was surprised, “So they aren’t going to do anything about it? What did you say?”

 Killua grinned, “I told them that I would win, if it came down to it. They seemed skeptical, but Ectoplasm believed me later.”

 Shoto looked shocked, “Could you?”

 Killua nodded, “Yeah. I learned something new in the fight with Stain. Ectoplasm helped me test it with All-Might’s… supervision.”

 Shoto grinned as he remembered their fight in the practice yard. “Yeah, you two did get a little carried away. Aizawa-sensei made us analyze it step-by-step the next day.”

 Killua cocked his head, “Did he? I thought he was just trying to make everyone shut up.”

 Shoto chuckled, “That too, probably. But yeah, we spent almost an hour talking about it. Oh, how did you test your new ability, anyways?”

 Killua shrugged, “I had All-Might time how long it took me to take out Ectoplasm’s clones.”

 “How many?”

 Killua grinned, “20.”

 Shoto’s eyes widened, “How long did it take?”

 Killua grinned wider, “About 4 seconds.”

 Shoto stared for a moment, “That’s.. insane. How did they react?”

 “They just stared at me. If they had any doubts to our story before that, they don’t anymore.”

 Shoto nodded, “Yeah.. I can see why.”

 Killua laughed suddenly as he remembered All-Might’s reaction.

 Shoto cocked his head, “What?”

 “Afterward, All-Might kept staring at me. I could tell he wanted me to test it on him, but Ectoplasm was like “No! Absolutely not!””

 Shoto laughed, “For some reason that doesn’t surprise me.” He looked at Killua slyly. “How do you think you would do?”

 Killua shook his head, “If I could do anything to him before I ran out of energy, maybe.. But you saw what he did to that Nomu. One punch would send me back home!”

 They both laughed at that. Shoto gave him an appraising look, “So, not only did you beat the hero killer by yourself, you could beat my father. But not All-Might. So does that mean you’re #2?”

 Killua blushed, causing Shoto to chuckle. Killua shook his head, “Well, since I’m not officially a hero, no.” He grinned. “Unofficially? I guess so.”

 Shoto shook his head, “Bakugo is never going to let it go.”

 Killua shrugged, imagining the outrage with amusement, “He’s going to try to fight me every chance he gets, isn’t he?”

 Shoto was grinning as he nodded, “Yeah.”

 Killua’s phone buzzed, and he took it out. Tsukauchi was calling him, probably wondering where he was. He answered it and put it on speaker. “Hello?”

 Tsukauchi’s voice held a tone of amusement, which Killua learned to be wary of. “Hey Killua, where are you right now?”

 Killua and Shoto shared a look, “I’m hanging out with Shoto. Why?”

 “Oh, well tell Todoroki I said hello.” Tsukauchi said.

 “He heard you, you’re on speaker.”

 “Hello, Detective Tsukauchi.” Shoto greeted in return.

 Tsukauchi hummed in thought, “Well, a curious thing Killua. Some of our officers informed me earlier that someone by the name of “Anomaly” helped them apprehend a suspect who had been on the run. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

 Killua couldn’t help but grin, and Shoto rolled his eyes in disbelief. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

 Tsukauchi laughed, “Of course you don’t.” He could practically hear the man roll his eyes. “Well, are you coming home? I’m making dinner.”

_Home._ Killua couldn’t help but smile wider, “Yeah, I’ll be home in just a minute.”

 “Does Todoroki want to come? He’s more than welcome.” Tsukauchi asked.

 Killua looked at Shoto, who shook his head and responded. “Sorry, but tomorrow’s the last day of the internship. I’m sure I’ll have to be up early.”

 “Okay, no problem. I just figured I would ask.” Tsukauchi answered.

 Shoto nodded, “Thanks for the offer.”

 “You’re welcome any time. Alright, I’ll see you soon, Killua.” Tsukauchi finished.

 “Yep, bye.” Killua responded, and hung up.

 Shoto gave him a curious look, “I didn’t know you were staying with him.”

 Killua nodded, “Yeah, I met him on the first day I was here. It took me a few weeks to accept the offer.”

 Shoto shook his head, “I still can’t believe that. How far away is it, anyways?”

 Killua shrugged, “A few minutes from the police station he works at.”

 Shoto’s eyes opened wide, “That’s at least an hour walk away!”

 Killua grinned as he sparked and began glowing with electricity. “Good thing I’m not walking then, right?”

 Shoto gaped, “You’re just going to…”

 “It’s not a quirk, remember?”

 Shoto shook his head in disbelief, “You’re ridiculous.”

 “Yep! Good luck tomorrow. Remember not to bother your father too much.”

 Shoto gave him a wry smile, “I don’t know, I might have to let him know there’s a new #2 in town.”

 Killua’s eyes widened and Shoto laughed.

 “It’s a joke!” Shoto assured. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow and let you know how it went.”

 Killua grinned and nodded, “Sure. Maybe you can come over for dinner?”

 Shoto nodded and gave him a wave.

 Killua waved in return, and disappeared in a streak of lightning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do I feel bad? Maybe because I'm a sucker for redemption stories.
> 
> and don't worry it's not going to turn into a Killua/Shoto ship (even though I'm pretty sure nobody would mind). It's just my new favorite bromance.
> 
> Misery loves company, after all.


	22. Experience

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but I felt like I've left you all waiting too long to not put something out. Sorry about that! 
> 
> I've been dealing with some things, and have been in a bit of a slump. I might also have burnt myself out on this one by writing so much for it in such a short time. 
> 
> I've been reading a lot of fics lately and my head is full of ideas (most of which probably aren't original, but I also haven't read every single fic in this fandom). Ideas that I can't shake, which is giving me a bit of writer's block as I try not to let those ideas find their way into this story. 
> 
> So, I might be starting another story as an outlet for a few of the ideas I have. So, if you want to see something different from me, keep your eye out for that. Otherwise, I'll be continuing this because I still love it. I just need a bit of time to get my plot straightened out in my head.
> 
> Again, sorry for the wait! Hope you enjoy this and I'll try not to take so long before the next chapter!

 Three days had passed since Killua’s meeting with Endeavor and Shoto. The internships had finished on Friday, and the students had the weekend to reflect on their experiences and get settled back into their normal routines. It was now Monday, which meant that the students would be back at U.A. on their regular schedule. All of the students would surely be excited to share their experiences with one another. At least, most of them would.

 Killua wasn’t excited in the least, however. The experience he had and the experience he would talk about were totally different. Although he was no stranger to telling lies and fabricating stories, that didn’t make him any more comfortable with it. But it was necessary to keep Midoriya, Shoto, and Iida out of trouble. He would have to grin and bear it, and he could only hope that everyone’s excitement to share their own experiences would spare him from having to get into the details..

 Killua got an early start, as had started to become normal for him. He was leaping through the city well before sunrise, making sure he had everything straight in his mind. The students would likely accept what they had already heard and merely ask for more details, but Aizawa and the other teachers would be more perceptive. Killua had to make sure they wouldn’t find any obvious holes in his story. At least, not enough to make them go looking for information on their own.

 Killua was confident in his story now, so he let that train of thought leave his mind. All that was left was to make sure his delivery didn’t sound overly rehearsed, but he would worry about that when the time came. He let himself slip into the flow of familiar movements, enjoying the peace of the early morning. The city had just begun to show signs of life once again as people began to wake up and begin their routines. In some ways, that added to the oddly serene feeling. A feeling that was only found in a city during the very late nights and early mornings.

 It hadn’t taken him long to accept his new image as the mysterious hero, Anomaly. Killua wasn’t actually a hero, of course, but once the public had decided that he was they wouldn’t change their mind. It had been almost a week, and still nothing significant enough to take their minds off of him had occurred. At first, Killua had been hoping that something would happen to take their mind off of him, but as time went on he found himself not caring. As he had told Shoto, a little mystery can be fun.

 A loud sound rocked the air in the distance, and Killua immediately shifted his movements in that direction. An explosion at any time would be cause enough for alarm, but this early in the morning was definitely trouble. And once again, Killua went straight to the source.

 He didn’t activate his _Godspeed._ Not yet. He could keep it up for quite a while, but the movements would take a lot out of him and could possibly leave him drained in the middle of danger. He hadn’t trained or refined the skill enough yet, and although he was confident in his skills without it he wouldn’t waste such a huge advantage before he even got to the fight. If there was to be one.

 Killua arrived into a scene of chaos. Shards of metal and glass that once made up a vehicle, or multiple vehicles, were strewn across the street. Rubble from parts of the nearby buildings added to the mess, and the remnants of a car was billowing smoke. Civilians had begun abandoning their vehicles and running for it. Killua scanned the area, looking for threats, before his eyes settled on a man standing in the middle of the street calmly. The man brought up a hand and snapped his fingers.

 Sparks flew from the villain's fingers towards another nearby car. The resulting explosion rocked the air, sending shrapnel in every direction. People screamed as they ran, leaving those that were injured to lay on the ground helplessly. Killua grit his teeth. He needed to get those people out of the area, but the villain surely wouldn’t just let him do that. If he engaged the villain, however, the people who couldn’t get away would just be in even more danger. But standing by wasn’t an option.

 His decision was made for him. A hulking figure with grayish hair, wearing a red bodysuit, came into view to engage the villain with a flurry of blows. He briefly wondered what Vlad would be doing here, but he didn’t have time.

 Killua took the villains distraction as his cue, and he leaped down to begin helping the civilians get out of danger. He was suddenly glad that All-Might had suggested he try carrying someone using _Godspeed,_ insisted that it would be incredibly useful for getting people out of danger in these exact situations. Killua had worried about the risk, however, so they had once again asked Ectoplasm for his help.

 Killua had picked up one of the teacher’s clones and took off with it. At first, the clone had taken damage from the breakneck speed at which he took off, but upon further testing Killua was able to extend his aura to the clone he was carrying, giving it a buffer against the speed. It wasn’t perfect, and he would still have to be careful of injuries as he would carrying a person normally. However, in this situation, an aggravated injury would be preferable to being blown up.

 He activated his _Godspeed_ and got to work, speeding from person to person and bringing them to an area clear of vehicles and debris, open enough to allow ambulances access when they were able to arrive. He slowed down his speed a little bit to avoid any unnecessary aggravation to their wounds, but it was still much faster than he could do normally. In less than a minute he had cleared the street of civilians, and decided to check inside the buildings that had taken damage.

 Although this area was busy, it was luckily a more business oriented area of the city, and thus most people hadn’t arrived to work yet. The buildings were damaged, but he didn’t find anyone injured. As he got to the last building, he looked down to check on Vlad and the villain.

 The villain had been luring the hero near and past vehicles, so Killua assumed he was using his sparks to ignite the fuel inside the vehicles. Vlad was a pro, however, so he wasn’t falling for it. That was good, but that also meant that Vlad couldn’t risk getting close. His quirk was strong, but it wasn’t particularly suited to long-range battle.

_If I use God-speed, I can probably get close enough to stun him before he can react, but if he manages to make something explode…_ Killua was next to Vlad in a second, who only spared him a glance before returning his attention to the villain. “Was that you clearing the injured from the area?”

 Killua nodded, “Yeah. Did you figure out his quirk?”

 Vlad nodded in response, “Yeah. He can create sparks , somehow igniting even a sealed fuel tank. I can’t get close.”

 Killua thought for a second, “I can.”

 Vlad shook his head, “Too risky. You’re just a-”

 Killua didn’t let him finish, “Get ready to use your blood to trap his fingers.”

 Vlad began to argue, but Killua had already disappeared.

 Killua was behind the villain in an instant, and he planted a palm into the villain’s back. Electricity flowed through Killua’s hand, and he felt the man seize up. The villain let out a gurgled scream, but Killua was already sweeping his legs out from under him. Killua was on top of him as he hit the ground, pinning the man down by his wrists and continuing to send a small current through them to prevent him from snapping his fingers.

 Blood flew over his head and onto the villain’s hands. The blood hardened immediately, trapping the man’s hands so that he couldn’t move his fingers. Killua nodded to Vlad in thanks before standing up. He looked back towards where he left the wounded, and sighed in relief when he spotted ambulances already on the scene.

 “Thanks for the assistance. And good thinking going for the wounded first.” Vlad stated.

 Killua nodded, “I’m glad you showed up. I didn’t like the idea of having to do both by myself.”

 Several police officers arrived on the scene, and Killua tried to pretend he didn’t recognize two of them. They nodded and gave their thanks before moving to apprehend the villain.

 “Don’t let his fingers touch.” Killua warned.

 One of the two he recognized looked at him and nodded, “Got it, thank you.” He looked back down and slapped a handcuff on one wrist before Vlad pulled the blood back through his glove. The other officer held the villain’s fingers apart as they brought his hands together to put the other cuff on.

 As they pulled the villain up to take him away, Killua spotted a familiar man in a trench coat approaching.

 “Good morning, Detective.” Killua said in his most innocent voice.

 “Back at it again, Killua? Tsukauchi asked with barely concealed amusement.

 The two officer’s did a double-take as they overheard Tsukauchi, and Killua flashed them a smile before looking back to Tsukauchi, “I guess so.” Killua said with a shrug.

 Tsukauchi brought out his notepad, flipping through it to find a blank page, “I thought you weren’t embracing your new reputation?”

 Killua shrugged, “I’m not, but explosions are kind of a universal signal for trouble.”

 Tsukauchi hummed as he got ready to write, “Of course. Now, what can you tell me of what happened?”

 Killua couldn’t help but notice Vlad’s curious glances, but began reciting his experience down to the smallest detail, with Tsukauchi nodding along and scribbling to keep up. Killua was used to giving detailed reports, and knew that Tsukauchi would prefer to know every detail as well, so it was a longer report than it likely needed to be.

 As he finished, an officer hurried up to them, obviously wanting to speak. Tsukauchi gave him a nod to go ahead, and the officer looked at Killua. “Sorry to interrupt, but a few of the injured civilians insisted on thanking you for getting them to safety.”

 Killua rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, “I just did what anyone would do.”

 The officer looked between the three of them awkwardly, “Well, if you don’t want to speak with them, could I… have a name? To give them?” He looked like he wasn’t sure if he should already know or not.

 Killua shot Tsukauchi a glare as the detective began to grin, before looking back to the officer with a nod, “Anomaly.”

 The officer’s eyes widened in recognition, “Oh! You’re the one that took down the hero killer!”

 Killua nodded hesitantly.

 “Great work, by the way! Was he as dangerous as they say? I mean, of course he was dangerous, but you’re so young..”

 Killua flushed, and he looked to Tsukauchi for help, but the detective pointedly ignored Killua as he was enjoying this far too much.

 Luckily, the officer noticed that he was making Killua uncomfortable. “Oh, I’m sorry! That was inappropriate.. That must have been a tough experience. Well, I’m sorry to bother you. I’ll let them know your name! Thank you for your assistance!”

 Killua smiled and nodded to the officer, “No problem. That’s what I’m here for.”

 The officer nodded and gave a small bow before hurrying off.

 Killua let out a sigh, causing Tsukauchi to suppress a laugh. Vlad didn’t bother, however, and he boomed out a laugh as he clapped a hand on Killua’s shoulder. “Welcome to the life, Killua! To think, the officer didn’t even look at me!”

 Killua shook his head, “Yeah, how rude. I take out one villain and suddenly they don’t care about anyone else!”

 Vlad laughed, “I’m not arguing with that.”

 Killua glared at Tsukauchi, “And it was a police officer, of all people! Aren’t you guys supposed to be professional?”

 Tsukauchi shrugged, and if anything his grin grew wider, “I think I’ll overlook that one.”

 Killua groaned, “Of course you will. And you always tell __me__ not to encourage people.”

 Tsukauchi shook his head before turning to Vlad, “Is there anything you would like to add to the report?”

 Vlad thought about it for a moment before shaking his head, “No. Killua covered everything.. and then some. I was just on my way to work when I heard the explosion, so I moved in to check it out.”

 Tsukauchi nodded, finished a few notes in his pad. “Well, that’s all I needed, then! Thank you for your assistance once again, Vlad!”

 Vlad nodded, and Tsukauchi turned to Killua, “And thank you, Killua. I’m sure your fans will love this one.” He laughed as Killua glared at him again. “I’ll see you soon. We have some more paperwork to go over later.”

 Killua cocked his head curiously, but nodded as Tsukauchi waved goodbye instead of elaborating. He turned to see Vlad looking at him curiously. “What?”

 “Seems like you got to know him pretty well.” Vlad remarked.

 Killua nodded, “Yeah, I live with him.”

 Vlad cocked an eyebrow, “Really? Huh.”

 “What?”

 Vlad shrugged, “A former assassin and a human lie detector. That must be interesting.”

 Killua grinned, “You have no idea.”

 Vlad shook his head, “Seems like he enjoys your new popularity more than you do.”

 Killua sighed, “Again, you have no idea.”

 Vlad laughed, “Well, at least you have someone good to stay with. Some of us had worried about it for a while.”

 Killua nodded, “Even if he’s a pain, he’s a good guy. Though I’m surprised that information didn’t find it’s way around as well.”

 Vlad’s smile faded, “That.. could be dangerous information. If I’m being honest.”

 Killua cocked his head, “Why?”

 Vlad raised an eyebrow, “Neither of you are exactly favored in the eyes of villains. A detective they can’t lie to, and one of the students that foiled their plans and took down the hero killer?”

 Killua shrugged, “They won’t catch me unaware.”

 Vlad sighed, “That’s what I’m afraid of. If they decide to use him to get to you…”

 “They’ll die.” Killua’s voice was suddenly cold.

 Vlad’s eyes widened. “Killua..”

 Killua shook his head, “They can come after me all they want. But,” His cold gaze met Vlad’s wide eyes, “If they target him or anyone at U.A, I will not hesitate.”

 Vlad cleared his throat, “You can’t just kill every villain that threatens people.”

 Killua continued looking into his eyes, “You know as well as anyone that the villains won’t hesitate to kill. Let’s be honest, the students may be talented, but they’re still inexperienced. They haven’t _seen_ anyone die. All it will take is one time and they’ll freeze up. One hesitation is all it takes. You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about it. That you won’t do whatever it takes to protect them.”

 Vlad swallowed before giving a small nod, “If it was absolutely necessary, but…”

 Killua nodded. “And you wouldn’t regret it. They’ll be great heroes someday, Vlad, but they have to make it there. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure they do.”

 He leaped up onto the rooftops once again, leaving a pale-faced Vlad to wonder what they had gotten themselves into. Whether he meant the villains or the heroes, however, he wasn’t quite sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also: Big bro Killua coming through! Even though he's technically younger than.. everyone, I'm pretty sure? Whatever, don't mess with his friends.


	23. Interviews

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an order of "More Dialogue" for a group of Readers? (Because for some reason it's always a question) 
> 
> No? Nobody ordered it? That's weird. Well, too bad because it's already made.

“...What can you tell us about the events in Hosu City?!”

 “-interning with Endeavor together!”

 “-Todoroki what is your relationship with Anomaly!?”

 “Is it true that he had a fight with Endeavor?!”

_Where did that hear that?_ Killua thought as he walked up to the group of reporters that had gathered outside of the gates of U.A. They had managed to surround Shoto, who kept his face carefully blank. He appeared to be calmly assessing each question and trying to decide which to answer, but Killua caught a hint of anxiety in his stance. He had one foot pointed towards the school, and was only half-turned to face the reporters. He clearly wanted to get away, but also didn’t seem to want to be rude.

 Killua locked eyes with Shoto as he walked up, and Killua gave him a nod as he mouthed “Go ahead”. Shoto nodded and turned to fully address the reporters.

 “If you want to know about Anomaly,” He pointed behind them. “why don’t you ask him yourselves?”

 Shoto’s eyes widened as the entire group of reporters whirled around at once to find Killua standing behind them. He gave Killua an apologetic smile before turning around to enter the school. The reporters increased their efforts and soon all of them were yelling over each other.

 As soon as Killua began to speak, they all fell silent to listen. “One at a time, or I’ll leave.” He pointed at one reporter at random. “Go.”

 The man’s eyes widened for a second, then he flew right into his question. “What was it like to fight the hero killer?”

 “He was strong, but I had more tricks up my sleeve. I was able to catch him off guard at the end and win.”

 All of the reporters scrambled to write the information down, and he heard cameras going off to snap pictures of him. He kept his face cool and relaxed, fighting the urge to scowl at them. He pointed at another reporter, “Question?”

 “Is it true that you had a fight with the #2 hero, Endeavor?”

 Killua shook his head, “We had a sparring match when I began my internship. He needed to know my abilities in case we had to work together on patrol.”

 “Reports say that the entire building shook on the first day of internships. Was that sparring match the cause?”

 Killua nodded, “He told me not to hold back.”

 Killua had to suppress a grin at the flurry of excited questions, and he waited for them to calm down. They all likely wanted to know the same things, in the end, so they could ask one at a time.

 When they calmed down, he pointed to another reporter.

 “Who won?”

 Killua sighed, “Nobody. It was just a test of ability.” He pointed to another reporter.

 “Is it true that you are from another world?”

 Killua nodded, “Yes.”

 “Are you a hero in your world?”

 Killua thought for a moment, “I’m a Hunter, in my world. They’re very similar. We have to earn licenses as well, and the test is very dangerous.”

 “What does the test consist of?”

 Killua grinned this time, “It varies from year to year, but this time there were too many people. Over a thousand.” The group gasped, writing his words furiously. He waited for them to calm down before continuing. “The first examiner was asked to trim the number down to three hundred, so he gave us two hours to defeat at least five people in order to move on.”

 “How did you do?”

 Killua grinned, “I was the only one that passed.”

 Astonished gasps and whispers rippled through the group before one reporter spoke up. “How is that possible?”

 Killua shrugged, “I was in a hurry, so I defeated all of them.”

 A thunder of questions erupted from the reporters, and he ignored them all as he waited for them to quiet down. When they didn’t, he made a show of moving to leave before they finally quieted each other down. He stopped to address another reporter, deciding to pick a different one every time. “Next question?”

 “How is a child like you allowed to act as a hero?”

_Good question._  Killua thought for a moment, “I technically don’t have a quirk, for one. Second, the teachers and pro heroes have seen me in action, and they know how cautious I am. The villains here aren’t as strong as some of the ones I’ve fought in my world.”

 Surprised whispers came back, and one man raised a hand. “We’ve received reports that you aided Vlad King against a villain just this morning. Is that true?”

 A few of the reporters looked to the woman in disbelief, as if that was their first time hearing of it. Killua nodded, “I did.”

 More conversation as they grudgingly converged to confirm the reports with each other. Nods and approving murmurs rippled through the reporters before several them raised their hands. They were coordinating questions now. Killua smiled at the strategy as he pointed to a different one once again.

 “How strong are you compared to the other heroes?”

_Other heroes?_  Killua shrugged, “I’ve only really met Endeavor and the teachers at UA, so I don’t know.”

 Disappointment sounded from the reporters. They must have wanted something more controversial for their headlines. Killua wasn’t going to give that up easily. They would paint him with whatever they could to get attention. He looked up in time to catch a glimpse of someone approaching quickly through the air. Hopefully to save him from their attention.

 “Who is your favorite hero so far?”

 Killua looked back at the reporter and grinned, “This one is pretty cool.”

 “I AM HERE-”

 All-Might landed heavily next to Killua before standing up straight and putting a hand on his shoulder.

 “-To make sure my friend Anomaly isn’t being bullied by the press!” All-Might finished, then proceeded to flash his signature grin.

_Friend?_ Killua groaned internally, but he didn’t think the reporters caught it. They stared at All-Might with wide eyes before talking over each other to assure the #1 hero that they weren’t trying to overwhelm him. All-Might looked down at Killua for confirmation.

 Killua nodded with a grin, “They’ve been great. They let me pick them for one question at a time!”

 He was met with grateful looks from the reporters as All-Might looked between them for a moment. Finally, the hero laughed boisterously, “Good! Unfortunately, young Anomaly here is going to be late, and he has to go!” All-Might looked down at Killua, ignoring the disappointment from the reporters. “Go on. You can be to class in just a few seconds!”

_Seconds?_ Killua thought, and the reporters murmurs mirrored his own. He cocked his head at All-Might. “Can I?”

 All-Might just gave him a huge grin and nodded.

_No wonder he’s so popular,_ Killua thought with amusement as electricity flashed to life through him, activating his _ _Godspeed.__ The reporters gasped in surprise and Killua grinned at them. “Well, it was fun, but I gotta go. Bye!”

 The reporters recovered quickly, as they were of course used to seeing things like this regularly. Several of them smiled as they thanked him, others nodded to him and said goodbye, but they were all watching him as he waved farewell. Then he disappeared in a flash.

 As All-Might had said, he made it to class in just a few seconds. Luckily, the door was still open, and he appeared in an empty seat next to Shoto just as the bell rang. He let his aura go and let out a heavy sigh. Shoto shook his head at him, but wore a small smile. “Sorry.”

 Killua shrugged, “It wasn’t so bad.”

 Almost everyone else in the class was staring at him.

 “What wasn’t so bad?” Aizawa grumbled tiredly as he walked over to shut the door.

 “Reporters.” Killua and Shoto said at the same time.

 Aizawa’s eyes narrowed, “We told them to leave the students alone.”

 “They were asking me about Killua, but then he showed up and they went after him.” Shoto explained.

 Killua sighed, “They weren’t that bad. I told them one question at a time or I would leave. All-Might showed up later to take their attention.”

 Aizawa sighed as he sat back down, “Is that why you appeared in your seat like a literal flash of lightning?”

 Killua blushed and nodded, “It was All-Might’s idea.”

 Aizawa rolled his eyes, “Of course it was.”

 Killua shook his head, “Is he always so dramatic?”

 Twenty different voices responded, “Yes.”

 Killua sighed, “They’re going to have a field day over that, aren’t they?”

 Aizawa nodded, “They are. What did they ask you?”

 Killua shrugged, “Nothing weird, except that they somehow got the idea that I actually got into a fight with Endeavor.”

 “You did.” Shoto said flatly.

 “It was a sparring match!” Killua argued.

 “A sparring match that nearly knocked the building down.” Shoto retorted.

 “Exactly.”

 “..I wasn’t agreeing with you.” Shoto sighed.

 “Whatever. Besides that, they asked me what it was like fighting Stain, of course. Then they asked me about things in my world, how strong I am. Stuff like that.”

 Someone knocked on the door, and Aizawa answered. “Come in!”

 Vlad poked his head in, “Has anyone heard from--” He stopped as he spotted Killua, “Oh, I didn’t know you were coming in today. Is that what the reporters outside are drilling All-Might about?”

 Killua shrugged, “They’re probably drilling All-Might about All-Might.”

 A few of the students laughed, and Vlad grunted in amusement. “True. Well, it’s good to see you’re unharmed. Thanks again for the help this morning.”

 Killua nodded, “No problem.” And Vlad left.

 “What did you help Vlad with this morning?” Midoriya asked.

 “Oh, I was getting to that.” Killua assured. “There was a villain wreaking havoc downtown this morning. He had some sort of spark quirk, and was using it to make cars explode. Vlad showed up around the same time and engaged while I helped move the injured people out of the area.”

 “Did everyone make it?” Uraraka asked anxiously.

 “I don’t know.” Killua admitted.

 “Hold on.” Midoriya said, scrolling through his phone. After a few moments, he read from it. “It says, “Ten civilians were injured in the attack, two of which were in critical condition. According to the hospital, both critical patients are now stable and all are expected to make a full recovery. Authorities and victims of the attack both say that the mysterious Anomaly is to thank for moving them to a safe area, easily accessible to emergency response. Anomaly and Vlad King left the scene shortly after taking down the villain and giving their reports to the police.””

 Killua and several others sighed in relief to hear that the victims would recover. Killua didn’t stick around to find out afterwards. The idea of being thanked for saving someone was uncomfortable to him for some reason. He was getting more used to the idea of being known to the world and being asked questions, in the case of the reporters, but he didn’t feel that thanks were needed. He was able to help, so he did.

 Killua shrugged uncomfortably, “One of the reporters asked me about it while I was out there. It sounded like they had just heard about it.”

 “Dude, that’s so manly!” Kirishima exclaimed finally.

 “Yeah, you just casually help a teacher take out a villain, save a bunch of people, face down a group of reporters and still manage to make it to class on time!” Kaminari added.

 Killua shrugged it off, feeling uncomfortable. “It’s not a big deal.” He wanted to change the subject. “What about everyone’s internships?”

 The room exploded as everyone started talking at once. Everyone except Killua, Shoto, and Iida. Midoriya glanced at Killua quickly, but soon engaged in conversation with Uraraka as she talked about the things she learned. Killua grinned and shook his head at her excitement before looking away. He shared a look with Iida, who nodded in respect. Killua only half-faked an exasperated sigh at the situation, earning a small grin from Iida and a chuckle from Shoto.

 “I think part of you secretly likes the attention.” Shoto observed.

 Killua groaned, “It’s fun sometimes, but the compliments and the thanks are awkward.”

 Iida gave him a puzzled look, “Why?”

 Killua shrugged, “I don’t know. I don’t want people to think I expect that when I help them. That’s not why I do it.”

 Iida raised an eyebrow, “I don’t mean to be disrespectful, after… everything, but why do you do it? Help people, I mean.”

 Killua shrugged again, “I don’t know. I’m finally free to do what I want with my skills. I feel alive when I’m using them to help people instead of harm them. I didn’t always have that. How could I expect more when I’m already doing exactly what I want to do?”

 Iida tilted his head, and his eyes grew distant. He looked away, appearing lost in thought. Killua looked over to find Shoto studying him as well, and he suddenly realized that it was quiet. He looked around to find the entire class staring at him as if they’ve never seen him before. “What, is that stupid?”

 “Congratulations,” Aizawa began, “You haven’t even been in this world for a year, and you’ve already figured out for yourself what some people never do. What it means to be a hero.”

 “But I’m not--” Killua started.

 “Not officially, of course.. Society, and more importantly law enforcement, seem to have already decided that you are.” Aizawa pointed out. “The question is, when are you going to?”

 Killua shot an accusing glare at Shoto, as if his friend had put Aizawa up to it. Shoto smiled and shook his head. Killua sighed in disbelief. “What is this, an intervention?”

 The class burst out in laughter, but it was light-hearted and broke the tension that had been growing in Killua. After a minute, Aizawa cleared his throat.

 “Alright, settle down!” Aizawa cut in, changing the subject. “As you all should know, final exams are coming up…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just accept it Killua, you're a good boi.


	24. Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay holy crap. I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to post another chapter! My mom was in the hospital on Wednesday and that just threw off my mental state a lot. I lost my way a bit and I just couldn't get myself to write anything I was happy with. I wrote and rewrote this chapter and I'm still not sure about it. Mostly just building the characters' bonds and relationships a bit for the future.
> 
> Now that that's out of the way, I'm going to ease into the Forest Training Arc pretty slowly. Throwing a powerful character in there (looking at you Godspeed) without making it a complete stomp (or bloodbath) is going to take some finesse. I also want to make it a plausible depiction of his character, so I can't spare his wrath too much. Balance is key, and I don't want to leave you guys hanging while I work it out.
> 
> I hope you enjoy, and as always let me know what you think! Love you all!

 Killua found that he rather enjoyed being in the company of Class 1-A and decided to stick with them for the rest of the day. He enjoyed the stories and banter as they spoke more in-depth about their internships; everything from poking fun at Bakugou for his new hairstyle to Uraraka’s experiences learning more hand-to-hand combat.

 He greatly approved of the hero that taught her hand-to-hand combat, noticing that a majority of the students were grossly inexperienced in that area. He had noticed a gleaming weakness in a lot of heroes: Their reliance on their quirks.

 Killua couldn’t truly blame them for that weakness, considering that they got their quirks at such a young age. In their world, a person’s quirk was a major defining factor in what they were able to do and where they were able to go in life. Especially in the realm of heroes. For that reason, many of them ignored everything except for their quirk when they trained. Unfortunately that could, and likely would, be a fatal mistake later down the line. One fight with Eraserhead, as the most obvious example, would prove that.

 There were exceptions of course. Shoto and Bakugou were the obvious ones, ignoring the students with physical enhancing quirks like Kirishima and Midoriya. Shoto underwent intensive training for his entire life that covered just about every aspect of combat and Bakugou had a preference for close-combat, naturally. Although his form left a lot of openings and could use a lot of work. Generally, however, what he had seen from the students in close-combat situations was worrying.

 Killua knew that his experience was unconventional at best. They were all young, being around the same age, but that didn’t change the facts. Villains could and would target them to accomplish their goals. Killua wouldn’t have been surprised if the students _ _were__  the goal. What better way to cripple the hero structure and culture surrounding it than by thinning out the future generation? A long-term tactic likely put into action by someone who had nothing but time: All for One.

 “Are you alright, Killua?”

 Killua looked up from his thoughts to see Uraraka looking at him with mild concern. Shoto, as well, was giving him a curious look. Killua had been sitting at the cafeteria table, his food untouched as he stared blankly at it in thought.

 Killua shrugged, “Yeah, just thinking.”

 Shoto studied him further. “Something’s bothering you.”

 It wasn’t a question. Killua simply nodded.

 “What is it?” Uraraka asked, her face growing more concerned.

 Killua sighed, “I’m worried about the League of Villains. They know too much and have every reason to hate us.”

 The other students at the table overheard and began paying attention. Yaoyorozu chimed in, “Do you think they would be so bold as to attack again? Security levels have been raised since USJ.”

 Killua nodded solemnly, “I’m not talking about school activities.”

 The students stared at him as it began to click in their heads gradually.

 “You think,” Kirishima began, “that they will try to target us outside of school?”

 Killua nodded, “Think about their goals. They couldn’t hope to attack the school directly now unless they’ve recruited a large number of strong villains. They know everything about you guys since the Sports Festival and seem to have a tendency to hold grudges. Harming students in any way would suit their goals.”

 Some of the students grew pale, while others bristled. Bakugou growled under his breath, “And what? I’ll crush any of them if they try to attack me!”

 Killua shook his head, “We don’t know who they have or what they are capable of. They know you. You’re at a disadvantage. All of you are.”

 Bakugou’s voice raised, “Haah? You’re more of a target than any of us! What makes you think you’re better off?”

 “Because he is.” Shoto stated simply.

 Bakugou laughed harshly, “Hah! I’ll blow you to bits, Sparky!”

 Killua gave him a flat look, “If you can’t even tell the difference between us, you don’t stand a chance.”

 Bakugou stood up quickly, fuming now. “You looking for a fight? I’ll kill you!”

 Killua met him with an ice cold glare, “Idle threats are for amateurs. Sit down.”

 “Tch!” Bakugou spat as he turned to leave. “Whatever.”

 Several sighs rose from the table as Bakugou stormed off.

 Killua shook his head, “Anyways.. Summer is coming up, which means you guys won’t be here as much. That also means you’ll be more vulnerable.”

 A few nods met him in response.

 “What can we do?” Yaoyorozu asked.

 Killua thought for a moment, “Until summer? Anyone who lives close to someone else should travel together, ideally in groups of at least 4 if possible. That would minimize any window of opportunity for the villains and take away from their advantage.” Killua held up a finger. “Also: Be aware of your surroundings. Pay attention to see if you’re being followed. If you think you’re being followed don’t go straight home, go somewhere heavily populated. Preferably a police station or hero agency.”

 “What if one of us doesn’t live near anyone else?” Yaoyorozu asked.

 Killua shrugged, “I can go with them until a better way is figured out.”

 “What if it’s really far out of the way?” Midoriya asked.

 Killua shrugged again, “It won’t be a problem for me.”

 “What about during summer?”

 Killua sighed, “That’s where it gets more tricky, since we won’t be here, but we all have ways to contact each other. Again, try to stay in groups when you go out. It won’t be easy, but it’s necessary.”

 Kirishima sighed, “We shouldn’t have to sneak around like that. We’re going to be heroes!”

 “But he’s right.” Jirou pointed out. “If their goal is to hurt heroes, going after the future generation makes sense.”

 Killua nodded, “Exactly. They know your quirks, your names, and where you go to school. You all have the potential to become great heroes, and they have seen that firsthand. If they can stop you from being a problem for them in the future, they will.”

 The mood became dark around Class 1-A’s table as the realization set in, which didn’t surprise Killua. They weren’t stupid, but they didn’t have the experiences that he did. Thankfully.

 “So we need to stick together as much as possible during summer. Any ideas?” Iida asked.

 Killua nodded, “I have one, but you guys might not like it.”

 Curious glances met him. Uraraka asked the question for them, “What is it?”

 Killua gave her a small smile, “As we’ve seen, the school doesn’t seem to have time for hand-to-hand combat training. What if we found a way to work on that over summer?”

 A few students groaned, and Kaminari chimed in. “But why? Wouldn’t working on our quirks be more important?”

 Killua cocked his head at him, “Who is your teacher?”

 Kaminari gave him a blank look, “You know that already.”

 “And…?” Killua prodded.

 Jirou smacked Kaminari upside the head. “Eraserhead. Doesn’t have a combat related quirk, but is still one of the best.” She looked back to Killua. “Go on.”

 Killua grinned a little at the exchange. “Anyways. No offense, but I’ve noticed that a lot of you guys are lacking in that department. That will be a problem, especially for those of you without quirks specifically related to combat. All of you will be in situations where you have to fight when you become heroes, regardless of what kind of hero you want to be.”

 Midoriya chimed in, “And if we find ourselves in situations where our quirks can’t be used, like against Eraserhead…”

 Killua nodded, “You’re in trouble. Which is why I think it’s important to start as soon as you can. Especially with the dangers ahead of us.”

 “But who can teach us?” Uraraka wondered. “I’ve only learned a few basics from my internship.”

 “We have a few people with more experience.” Killua pointed out. “I’ve had a lot of training, and I could help teach at a basic to intermediate level.”

 “I’ve learned quite a lot. I’m more than happy to help.” Ojiro volunteered.

 “I can also help with the basics, at least.” Shoto added.

 “I can help as well.” Kirishima also added.

 Killua nodded, “Since the goal is to just work on hand-to-hand, quirks won’t be involved, so we shouldn’t need permission from the school. I think it’s better to learn that way anyways.”

 “Is that how you learned, Killua?” Uraraka asked.

 Killua nodded again, “Yeah. I didn’t learn to use electricity until about a year ago.”

 A few surprised gasps sounded around the table, but Killua ignored them.

 “Either way,” Killua continued, “It’s a very important thing to learn, but it’s up to you all. If you’re in, we can work out a time and place later on.”

 “I’m in.” Uraraka stated immediately.

 “Me too.” Kaminari seconded.

 “Same.” Jirou chimed in.

 Soon, every student in the class had agreed to join them, and they decided to work on a time and place at a later date. For the time being, they began discussing ways to travel together and routes that they could take to stick together as much as possible.

 _They’re taking this very seriously. That’s a good sign._ Killua wasn’t sure what he expected, but he was sure he didn’t expect them to takehim so seriously. The reality he pointed out to them was harsh, but they helped each other see the logic and the danger that they were potentially in.

 “Do you know more than you’re letting on?” Shoto asked from next to him in a low voice.

 Killua shook his head, but he wasn’t exactly being truthful. He felt a bit guilty, but he couldn’t talk about everything. “Only what I would do if I was on the other side of things.”

 Shoto studied him for a long moment before giving a small smile. “It’s a good thing you’re on our side, then.”

 Killua nodded, “I’ll do what I can to help. I just hope it’s enough.”

 Shoto considered for a moment before giving a grim nod. “It will have to be.”

 The bell rang. Killua felt a lot better about the situation as the students began leaving to head to their next class. Unfortunately, their next class was English.

 “Hey,” Killua called out. “I’m going to sit out of this one. English is complete nonsense to me.”

 “You don’t have English where you’re from?” Kaminari asked.

 “Nope.” Killua replied.

 Kirishima let out an exaggerated sigh. “Bah! Lucky!”

 The class laughed as they agreed, and Killua joined them.

 “Well,” Killua added, “If anyone needs someone to travel home with or doesn’t feel comfortable, let me know. I’ll come back when school lets out.”

 “Okay, Killua. We’ll make sure that nobody leaves alone!” Iida promised with enthusiasm.

 Yaoyorozu nodded in agreement, “We’ll call you if we need to, but don’t worry about us too much.”

 Killua nodded and waved goodbye as they left. Killua decided to head home for the day. He had a lot of planning to do.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...actually took four chapters to write a single day. Yep, that happened. No big deal. (I suck at this send help)
> 
> But seriously how are you still with me?

 Killua sat at home that evening, carefully planning and considering their options. The school would do what they could to keep the students safe, of course, but the school wouldn’t always be there to protect them. U.A. was doing what they could to prepare the students for the hero life and to work as heroes, but none of them could have expected them to need to be prepared in their first year.

 Killua had to tell himself periodically that they weren’t brought up the same way that he was. Some of them had been brought up to be heroes, like Shoto, but none of them had first-hand experience from the other side of the spectrum. Most pro-heroes didn’t have that experience, and frankly most of them didn’t want to. Another weakness, but he wasn’t there to try to correct the pros.

 Killua heard the front door being unlocked, and he became alert by instinct. The door opened, and a Tsukauchi’s familiar voice announced himself. “I’m home!”

 “Hey.” Killua called back as he relaxed.

 Tsukauchi walked in and began setting his things down, but Killua ignored him and focused on his plans.

 Killua had very little experience teaching, but he had to try. He had drawn up a few training routines for different scenarios and different skill levels: The routines ranged from absolute basics, which he hoped weren’t needed, to intermediate levels. He didn’t feel confident in teaching at advanced levels, but he didn’t think he would need to be. At that point, if they got there, they could bring in someone more qualified.

 Sparring would be a huge part in their training, so he would match the students that were on similar levels when he got a better understanding of where they were at. Killua had a rough idea of how good most of them were, but that was subject to change.

 The problem that Killua found was instinct. Generally, most of the students were bound to rely on their quirks first in emergencies. That wasn’t a problem, exactly, but it could become one. Against Eraserhead, for example, students could find themselves stumbling and hesitating without their quirks. They wouldn’t be able to act on instinct in just a few months. Either way it would be a good start, but introducing a new skill was also a risk. If they had to think too much about using that skill, that would slow them down.

 “What has you so focused, Killua?” Tsukauchi asked as he sat down next to him.

 Killua looked up and shrugged, “The students are lacking in hand-to-hand combat skills, so we decided to work on that over the summer.”

 “Isn’t that something that U.A. should be teaching them?” Tsukauchi asked.

 “They should,” Killua agreed, “but it isn’t a priority for first-years. Quirk development is the main focus, since most of the students haven’t had the opportunity to practice with theirs openly.”

 Tsukauchi nodded, but frowned in thought. “That makes sense, but it’s all important to a hero.”

 Killua nodded, “That’s why I figured we should work on it over the summer.”

 Tsukauchi hummed in thought, “Won’t that be a problem with the school?”

 Killua shrugged, “It shouldn’t. We won’t be using quirks.”

 Tsukauchi shrugged and walked away.

 Killua was also considering other ways to keep the students safe. Obviously, a lot of the students were friends and some of the more social ones would make an effort to bring each other together. However, there were a few that preferred to keep to themselves. Killua couldn’t force those students to stick together with the rest, of course, so he decided he would try to help them learn how to stay safe alone. Just in case.

 Knocking sounded at the door, causing both Killua and Tsukauchi to become alert. They almost never had visitors, except for All-Might, and All-Might would call ahead of time. Killua stood as Tsukauchi moved towards the door.

 Tsukauchi looked through the peephole before relaxing and opening the door, “Aizawa, come in!”

 Aizawa stepped in, looking around tiredly.

 “What brings you here this evening?” Tsukauchi asked politely.

 “Sorry for showing up unexpectedly, but I heard some interesting information from my students today.” Aizawa stated plainly before looking to Killua. “I wanted to clarify some things.”

 Tsukauchi nodded, but looked confused. “Well, make yourself at home. I was just going to make dinner. You’re welcome to stay and eat.”

 Aizawa shook his head, “Thanks for the offer, but I won’t intrude longer than I need to.”

 “Alright.” Tsukauchi relented.

 Aizawa sat down on a chair across from Killua and cleared his throat, “As the class was leaving today, I overheard a few of the students talking. Apparently they decided to travel home in groups, and they were making sure nobody was leaving by themselves. When I asked, they said that you suggested it to them. Why?”

 Killua met his eyes, “I’m worried that they may be targeted by villains. After security was heightened at the school, the more likely time to target them would be when they aren’t there.”

 Aizawa raised an eyebrow, “What makes you think they will be targets?”

 Killua sighed, “Their leader is childish, and likely to hold grudges. He will want revenge on the students for helping thwart his plans, especially now that they know the students names and quirks, along with a lot of their weaknesses. But he’s also not stupid. After such a big loss at USJ, their original goal is out of reach. At least until they bolster their numbers with more than just thugs. If their long-term goal is to cripple heroes and boost their own reputation among villains, that would be their most likely option.”

 Aizawa hummed in thought.

 “You can’t tell me this hasn’t occurred to you.” Killua said flatly.

 Aizawa shook his head, “It has, but I wanted to hear your perspective. With your… experience, it makes sense that you would see their options. Is that what you would do?”

 Killua studied him for a moment before nodding, “A direct attack on the school would be a disaster for them, but they have a lot of options. Threats, blackmail, kidnapping, murder. They don’t need to go anywhere near the school to pull that off. Isolating a student to threaten them would be easy. Most of the students hadn’t even considered it.”

 Aizawa frowned in thought, his eyes wandering to Killua’s plans that had been laid out on the table. “So you were just giving them advice to help them stay safe outside of school?”

 Killua nodded, “The reality is harsh, but the danger is real. Staying in groups will help reduce the risk and act as a deterrent. I warned them to be mindful of their surroundings. If they have even the slightest feeling that they’re being followed, they should immediately go to a police station or hero agency. At the very least, somewhere busy and public. Anywhere but home.”

 Tsukauchi hummed in appreciation, looking a bit surprised.

 Aizawa nodded, “That’s good advice. I had considered insisting that they be careful as well, but I didn’t want to worry them if I didn’t have to.”

 Killua sighed, “I didn’t either, but I’m certain they will be targeted eventually. The question is when.”

 “You don’t have any doubts about that, do you?” Tsukauchi asked.

 Killua shook his head, “I know how these things work. If it would be hard to do, I wouldn’t be so worried, but I could learn their routines and follow them undetected with ease.”

 Tsukauchi gave him a concerned look, “How easily?”

 Killua met his eyes, “In the criminal world, something being too easy is a red flag to abort mission and get out. That easy.”

 Tsukauchi paled and nodded. “So they’re easy targets, and with summer coming…”

 “One of the reasons I want to get them together to work on hand-to-hand combat.”

 “I heard something about that.” Aizawa noted.

 Killua nodded, “There doesn’t seem to be enough time at school to teach them. It’s not a problem as long as we aren’t using quirks, is it?”

 Aizawa shook his head, “No, that’s good, actually. I’ve been concerned about their reliance on quirks from the start.”

 Killua smiled slyly, “You were one of the examples we used when talking about it. Almost all of them are on board with it, so that will help with two issues at once.”

 Aizawa nodded appreciatively, “Training and a way to keep an eye on them over the summer. Smart.” He hummed in thought, “Speaking of summer. We’ve been keeping it a secret, but--”

 “Then you should keep it a secret.” Killua interrupted.

 Aizawa raised an eyebrow as he shared a look with Tsukauchi. “Do you not trust…”

 Killua shook his head quickly, “It’s not that. The problem is that we don’t know what kind of quirks they have. The fewer people that know, the better.”

 The two men shared another look, but they both nodded. Aizawa’s lips twitched as he fought a grin, “You’re as cautious as ever, Killua.”

 “To a fault, sometimes.” Killua noted offhandedly.

 Aizawa stood up, “Well, I’ll be vague. Be ready for some other training. Now, is there anything else you would like to discuss?”

 Killua thought for a moment before shaking his head, “No, but I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”

 Aizawa nodded, “Then I’ll be going. Thank you both for your time. And thank you for going out of your way to help them.”

 “It’s not a problem..” Killua insisted.

 Tsukauchi shared a few words with Aizawa before showing the teacher out, then went back to sit down next to Killua.

 “The League of Villains is going to come back stronger.” Tsukauchi stated.

 Killua nodded, “And their real leader isn’t an amateur. He will make sure they aren’t so reckless in the future.”

 Tsukauchi sighed, “We’ll have to keep an eye out for them. What can we do to help?”

 Killua met his eyes, “Exactly what you said. Keep a look out. I’m sure the other officers know who the students are, but let them know to keep an eye out for trouble.”

 Tsukauchi nodded and gave him a smile, “Even the best of us have trouble putting ourselves in a villain’s shoes. You make it seem so easy.”

 Killua shrugged, “It’s different when you’ve been in those shoes for most of your life. Sometimes I think I’m still wearing one.”

 Tsukauchi hummed, “Perhaps, but you’re doing good things. We’re lucky to have you with us.”

 Killua grinned, “No matter what they try to do, they’ll regret it. I’ll make sure of that.”

 Tsukauchi shook his head at Killua’s wicked grin, and sat up straight. “Well, can we drop that for now and eat?”

 Killua nodded before he cleaned up his plans and brought them to his room, before going back to sit in the kitchen. Tsukauchi had made Udon, which had quickly become one of Killua’s favorites. They ate in silence. The previous conversation had given them much to think about and put a damper on their moods.

 As they ate, Killua noticed Tsukauchi watching him once in a while, as if he wanted to say something. Killua looked at him and cocked his head, “What’s wrong?”

 Tsukauchi looked away and back down at his food, “It’s nothing.”

 Killua raised an eyebrow, “You’re lying.”

 Tsukauchi chuckled a bit, “I thought I was the lie detector here?”

 Killua grinned and shook his head, “Don’t need a quirk to see something so obvious. What’s up?”

 Tsukauchi shrugged, “I know I said there was something to talk about, but with everything else.. I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

 Killua rolled his eyes, “Trust me, I’m fine. And now I have to know.”

 Tsukauchi sighed and leaned back, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Well.. when we put in to get your legal identity, I put myself as your guardian since you’re staying here. But that’s supposed to be more of a temporary thing…”

 Killua cocked his head, “So..?”

 Tsukauchi blushed, “Well I was wondering.. since you still have a few years as a minor.. maybe we should make it more permanent.”

 Killua gave him an incredulous look, “You mean like adoption?”

 Tsukauchi’s blush deepened, “You don’t have to, of course. I just thought…”

 “Why would you want that?” Killua asked.

 Tsukauchi looked down dejectedly, “I.. don’t know. I thought..” He stood up suddenly and began walking away. “Nevermind.”

 Killua’s eyes widened as he realized how that sounded, and he felt a pang of guilt. “Wait!”

 Tsukauchi turned around and gave him a look he couldn’t quite describe.

 “That’s not what I meant!” Killua insisted. It was his turn to blush. “It’s just.. I’ve been nothing but trouble since I got here. Another thing to worry about. Why would you want to keep me around?”

 Tsukauchi went wide-eyed, looking thoroughly confused. “You really think that? Killua, everything you’ve done here has helped people. You aren’t someone to just “keep around”. I want you to stay here because I _ _care__.”

 “But why?”

 Tsukauchi sighed and gave him a sad smile, “I don’t need a reason to care, Killua. I just do.”

 Killua frowned, “But I’m a target for villains, and now people know who I am.”

 Tsukauchi gave him an amused look, “And? Are you forgetting who I’m friends with?”

 Killua thought about it for a moment, then puffed out a laugh. “Oh yeah.”

 Tsukauchi gave him a half-smile and patted his shoulder, ”You’re a good person, Killua. Whether you realize it or not. Sorry for putting that on you so suddenly.”

 Killua shrugged off the compliment, “Well, if you’re sure.. I would like that.”

 Tsukauchi’s eyes widened, “Are you sure? You don’t have to decide right now.”

 Killua nodded, “Yeah.”

 Tsukauchi paused for a moment, then beamed. “Alright! I’ll deal with the paperwork tomorrow and we can get the process moving.”

 Killua smiled widely at how happy the man looked. “Okay. I’ll clean up the kitchen before I go to bed.”

 Tsukauchi nodded happily, “Alright, I’m going to get cleaned up and head to sleep as well.”

 Killua nodded as Tsukauchi went towards the bathroom, and proceeded to clean up the dishes and put everything away.

 He had expected to feel guilty for accepting such an offer, considering his family back home, but the guilt never came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He acted like a dad, now he can officially be one!
> 
> And I love it.


	26. Teamwork

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Purposely ignoring a few things because of redundancy. Just setting up and adding a bit of Killua's observation.
> 
> Random thought: Can I just sit Yaoyorozu, Midoriya, Shoto, and Killua around a table and have them talk about strategies and quirks for a few chapters? (I probably won't actually do that, but that would be great filler)

 The practical part of the final exams had finally arrived, and Killua had been called to attend. He considered that odd, but he ended up going anyways. He was curious about what the exam would entail, and he didn’t believe that it would be against robots as most of the students were led to believe.

 It just wouldn’t make any sense. Teachers and students alike had noted how the robots weren’t a good judgement of someone’s capabilities. Too many good quirks were useless against the robots, and it would be unfair and illogical to put all of the students in one boat. The entrance exam was one thing, although many people including Killua had their gripes about it. The upcoming test was far too important.

 Killua said as much when the students were outside discussing what it would be. When Kaminari insisted that it would be robots, Killua shook his head.

 “It won’t be.” He stated.

 “But, that’s what Kendo told us!” Kaminari argued.

 “It might be for them, but things change. We all know how ineffective of a test that would be.” Killua retorted calmly.

 “Killua’s right,” Aizawa acknowledged from behind them. “The test is going to be quite a bit different.”

 The cloth of Eraserhead’s capture weapon shifted and rustled, and a moment later Principal Nezu popped out from inside of it. Aizawa was unimpressed at best, and Killua could tell it took all of his self control to not throw the Principal across the property.

 “Good observation, Killua!” Nezu praised, “We had originally thought to use the robots, but with the villainous threat looming overhead, we’ve been forced to increase our efforts. Therefore, from now on we will be using more real-life simulations to both train and test our students! Today, you will be working in pairs to battle your own teachers!”

 Exclamations of surprise rose from the students. Principal Nezu waited for them to calm down before continuing. He went on to explain the pairings, and Killua found himself grinning in appreciation as the Principal went.

_They’re deciding the match-ups based on weaknesses._ Three of the match-ups intrigued Killua the most, however. Shoto and Yaoyorozu vs Eraserhead would be interesting since both students have a heavy reliance on their quirks. Yaoyorozu may be skilled with a staff, as he had seen once or twice, but Aizawa would be superior in close-combat. Her strategic ability would be the deciding factor there.

 Tokoyami and Asui were another interesting one. Both students were mid to long-range fighters, and Ectoplasm was solely close-combat. They would need to be creative in order to prevent themselves from getting caught and surrounded. Their quirks would work well together, however, and they could utilize that well. Providing they could come up with strategies accordingly.

 Finally, Midoriya and Bakugou vs All-Might. It was obvious that Bakugou didn’t work well with anyone, but that issue was made more clear with Midoriya. They would need to work together seamlessly in order to beat All-Might, and even then it would be a struggle. Midoriya’s quirk was like a weaker version of All-Might’s, and Bakugou would struggle to do any meaningful damage to the #1 hero.

 “What about me?” Killua asked suddenly.

 Aizawa stared at him. “After the other tests are complete, we’re going to see if your suggestions to the other students truly have merit. You will be going against me, one-on-one.”

 Killua grinned, “Same rules?”

 Aizawa shook his head, “For this, we’re going to pretend that your lightning abilities count as a quirk. However, since my quirk won’t work on you, we decided that you won’t be able to use them at all.” He held up a finger. “Also! This will be a defeat-only test. Escape is not an option. Does that sound fair to you?”

 Killua put a finger to his chin In thought.

 “Hey, that’s not fair at all!” Kirishima objected.

 “Yeah, Sensei. How is that a proper test?” Uraraka complained.

 Killua shared a look with Shoto, who had a small smile on his face, before looking back to Aizawa. “So just my lightning?”

 Aizawa nodded, “Any other abilities you have are fair game.”

 Killua hummed in thought, “One request.”

 Aizawa cocked his head, “What is it?”

 Killua grinned wickedly, “Since you have to go up against Shoto and Yaoyorozu first.. no weights.”

 “What?!” Kirishima blurted out. “Dude you’re insane!”

 “HAAH?!” Bakugou barked a laugh. “You gonna take that, Sensei?!”

 Aizawa hid a smile in his capture weapon, “Fair enough. That’s the plan, then. Let’s get moving to the grounds!”

 As they moved towards the bus that would take them to the testing area, a few of the students continued their complaints.

 “Why would you agree to that?” Kaminari demanded.

 “Eraserhead not being able to cancel your lightning was an advantage for you, and they took that away. Also, you’re going to have to fight him alone, and you can’t break his capture weapon. Also, requesting that he take the weights off also gives you a disadvantage…” Midoriya trailed off into mumbling.

 “DEKU!!” Bakugou yelled.

 Midoriya started, then looked around. “Oh.. sorry.”

 Killua just smiled and shook his head.

 “But really, Killua. The rest of us are given advantages, while yours are taken away. What’s up with that?” Jirou demanded.

 “It’s to prove a point.” Shoto stated flatly.

 “What do you mean?” Yaoyorozu asked.

 “You’ll see. For now, we have our own tests to focus on.” Shoto pointed out.

 Killua grinned as he sat down on the bus. Shoto had known exactly what the purpose of the test was, which didn’t surprise him. His friend was very observant, and had much more knowledge of how skilled Killua was. The students, however seriously they took his suggestions and warnings, still doubted him in some ways. Their outrage at the situation was a clear sign of that.

 Part of him felt bad that he was being singled out, both for himself and for the students. It made him feel more out of place, as much as he had been telling himself that he wasn’t. Everyone close to him had been telling him that, but small things like that made him question himself.

 As for the students, some of them would be bitter that he was viewed on a different level than them. Facts were facts, but he knew what happened when pride was involved. Once the tests were over, however, the point would be clear. If not, he would make sure to explain it so that they would understand.

 For now, he had to focus on his match. Regardless of his confidence, Aizawa wasn’t an opponent to brush off. The hero was experienced, and had the skills to be a threat. Killua had seen him in action enough to gather that much. If Killua had _ _Nen,__ he had no doubt that he would defeat the teacher in a flash. Killua knew that they had only said electricity, but he decided he wouldn’t use _ _Nen_  _at all. It would be just his fighting skills and a few of his assassination tricks. He wouldn’t be trying to kill the man, of course, but he could make use of some of them without the intent to kill.

 Killua didn’t know the environment they would be in, but he assumed it would be an urban one. That was where Eraserhead was most experienced and it would give them a lot of room to move around unseen. Given that Killua was the one that had to pass, that meant that Eraserhead would be able to fight where he chose to. On his terms.

 “Are you worried, Killua?” Yaoyorozu asked suddenly.

 Killua was pulled from his thoughts, and he looked up to see Yaoyorozu studying him. He shrugged, “Not really, I’m just coming up with a plan.”

 She nodded, “Too bad we don’t even know what environments we’ll be fighting in yet.”

 “Eraserhead will choose an outdoor urban landscape.” Killua said with certainty. “That’s where he’s most effective.”

 Shoto considered for a moment before nodding, “It makes sense.”

 Killua turned away as Shoto began planning with Yaoyorozu. Before long, they arrived at the grounds, which appeared to be an abandoned cityscape as Killua expected. Cities were the most common place to encounter villains, so it made sense.

 Aizawa tells the students to go with their teachers to the according testing grounds before telling Killua that he should stay with Recovery Girl in the monitoring room until the other students were done.

_He wants all of the students to be there to watch._ He agreed and met Recovery Girl in the monitoring room.

 “Ah, you must be Killua.” She stated in greeting. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

 Killua shook his head, “We haven’t. Nice to meet you.”

 Recovery Girl nodded. “The pleasure is mine. I’m afraid that I usually only meet students when they’ve gotten hurt.”

 Killua shook his head, “That happens a lot.”

 She sighed in response, “Unfortunately. Young heroes are always getting themselves hurt..”

 Killua nodded, “They haven’t realized that they’re no help to anyone if they can’t move.”

 Recovery Girl studied him for a moment, “But you do.”

 Killua shrugged, “That’s how I was trained.”

 She hummed, “I wish more students were trained like you were, then.”

 Killua couldn’t help but laugh, “No you don’t.”

 She studied him further, but he gave nothing away. He didn’t necessarily care of she knew of his past, but he wasn’t about to advertise it. She huffed, “Well, some caution and self-preservation in their would be much appreciated.”

 Killua nodded, “Agreed. Bailing out reckless heroes gets tiring.”

 Recovery Girl chuckled, “A voice of reason! Maybe there’s hope after all.” She turned back to the monitors. “Well, it looks like the tests are about to begin.”

 Killua stepped closer to watch, keeping a close eye on Yaoyorozu and Shoto vs Eraserhead. This time, however, Yaoyorozu was doing the talking, with Shoto listening intently. Killua grinned at that. Aizawa may have made a mistake in putting himself against two strategic minds.

 He looked that the screen showing Asui and Tokoyami vs Ectoplasm, noting that Ectoplasm immediately rushed them as he had expected. The pair of students used their quirks together to keep their distance, and Killua nodded appreciatively at their plan. However, Killua realized that Ectoplasm wasn’t holding back. He counted upwards of twenty clones, which approached his limit.

 Midoriya and Bakugou weren’t looking good. They clearly weren’t working together, despite Midoriya’s efforts. Killua had no doubts that Bakugou would be trying to fight All-Might. He also had no doubts that they would lose. Their only option was to escape, in Killua’s eyes. All-Might was much too fast for them to sneak the handcuffs on him without a solid plan.

 Killua sighed at that, “Looks like you’ll have more work on your hands.”

 Recovery Girl sighed in agreement. “I can’t say I wasn’t expecting it.”

 In the end, most of the students ended up passing. There were a few exceptions, of course, but that was to be expected. It was too much to expect perfect match-ups, especially playing off of weaknesses, but it would be a good learning experience overall. Hopefully that would help drive the point of his own test home.

 Before long, the students and teachers made their way back to the monitoring room. Despite his “loss”, Aizawa didn’t look any more tired than he usually did. Recovery Girl bustled Midoriya and Bakugou away even as she scolded All-Might for going overboard.

 Killua grinned and shook his head at that, but laughed out loud as All-Might had the decency to look properly abashed. Killua couldn’t help but secretly wish he had been up against All-Might, but they both knew it would be a bad idea. Considering the #1 hero’s condition, he was surprised the man had been participating in the testing at all.

 Aizawa removed his weights and stretched to get used to being unrestrained before looking at Killua. “Ready, Killua?”

 Killua nodded. All eyes were on them, and a good few of them were skeptical.

_We’ll see how long that lasts._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory Killua being a cheeky little shit once in a while.
> 
> I'll try not to keep you waiting for too long :D


	27. Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, fight scenes! I think I wrote this one out pretty well, but let me know if you had any trouble following it. 
> 
> Overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Let me know what you think!

 They gave Killua and Aizawa five minutes to maneuver through the cityscape and find their starting positions. Killua decided to stay on ground level for the time being. It would be up to Aizawa to decide how to start and how the pace would go. Then it would be up to Killua to work around that and take control of the fight.

 Aizawa had two options: Either he would try to hunt Killua down, or he would find a spot and make Killua go to him. Killua leaned towards the latter option as more likely, but he didn’t count on it. The biggest factor here would be the element of surprise, which is why Killua didn’t want to be detected until he was ready to strike.

 When it came to stealth, Killua was certain he had the upper hand. Back when he had come to this world, he had been able to detect Eraserhead following him and was able to circle around to catch the hero off-guard. This time, however, Killua would have to force a fight rather than just make threats.

 Killua crept through alleyways silently, making sure to mask his presence. He considered using _ _Zetsu,__  but decided he wouldn’t need it. His skills would be more than enough, and Eraserhead couldn’t use _ _Nen__  to detect him regardless. He peeked around corners, making sure to look everywhere for the hero.

 Eraserhead liked to take the high ground and run along rooftops, but he would know that Killua knew that. He likely expected Killua to be taking that route because of his experience with him. Killua wasn’t going to make himself so obvious unless time became short.

 Aizawa had an advantage in his capture weapon, allowing him to engage and disengage from a distance. Killua would have to get in close-range to do anything without his _ _Nen__ , but he also had tricks up his sleeve. Eraserhead may or may not know about those, depending on how much the teacher had seen of his fight with Ectoplasm

 It was safer to assume that Aizawa knew of all of his tricks, so he moved with the assumption that his only surprise would be on the initial attack. The hero wasn’t easily fazed, so he couldn’t rely solely on that.

 Killua spotted movement as he peeked around an alleyway. As he had thought, Eraserhead wasn’t taking to the rooftops. Killua grinned as he pulled himself back around the corner. They were both in comfortable territory here, but Aizawa had all of his tools at his disposal. In theory, he could just keep his distance for the entire time limit, although that would defeat the purpose of this test.

 But with what he knew of Aizawa, there were always layers to his lessons. This wasn’t just a statement to the students, it was a true test of Killua. The teacher expected this to be a game of cat-and-mouse, with both of them believing that they were the cat.

 That’s why Killua decided to throw a wrench in the gears and surprise both of them.

 Killua put his hands in his pockets and strolled out into the street casually, looking around as if he was just window-shopping downtown. His face was neutral and mildly interested, but he was aware of everything. He felt Eraserhead’s eyes on him as he strolled down the street, and he could tell that the man was wary of his nonchalant attitude.

 

_________

 

 Back in the monitor room, the students and teachers alike were staring in puzzlement. Kirishima broke the silence, “What the heck is he doing?!”

 “I.. don’t know.” Todoroki admitted.

 Yaoyorozu smiled, “It’s risky.”

 “What is it?” Todoroki asked.

 “Think about it. They’re both hunting one another, trying to get the upper hand through surprise. But surprises aren’t as effective when the opponent expects it. Also, Killua is on a time limit, so he’s taunting Aizawa-sensei and giving him the opening. That’s a surprise enough by itself. You can tell by how cautious Sensei is being.”

 “Taunting Aizawa?” Present Mic asked in surprise. “That won’t go over well.”

 “But if Aizawa-sensei takes the bait, they’ll be fighting on Killua’s terms, where he chooses to. Killua is trying to take away one of his advantages.” Midoriya added.

 “Hmm, but underestimating his teacher?” Recovery Girl questioned. “That’s not a good sign.”

 “I don’t think Killua’s underestimating him.” Ectoplasm argued. “I think he knows exactly where they stand.”

 

__________________________________________________________

 

 Killua felt the attack coming more than he saw it. Killua long ago learned to trust his gut, and learned to read the tells that accompanied someone’s intention to attack. He side-stepped in a blur as Eraserhead’s capture weapon breezed past him, right where he had been just a moment before.

 Killua’s hand shot out to grab the cloth, and he pulled to throw the hero off balance. Eraserhead didn’t expect it, but he recovered quickly and steadied himself as Killua dashed forward to close the distance.

 Aizawa barely got his arm down in time to block the strike to his mid-section, and retaliated with a kick as he pulled his capture weapon back to try trapping Killua with it. Killua didn’t try to block or dash backwards to avoid the kick, instead he dropped low and swung his own leg around to sweep Aizawa’s pivot leg out from under him.

 Aizawa fell, but caught himself and used his hands to spring backwards, gaining him some distance to make use of his weapon again. Killua didn’t give him time and shot forward to attack again. He feigned an attack to the midsection, then threw a straight left punch at Aizawa’s face. Aizawa moved his arm up quickly to block, but Killua ducked down and twisted back into a strike to the gut.

 The punch connected, causing Aizawa to flinch in pain momentarily before stepping back and throwing his capture weapon straight at Killua. In the same movement, he used that momentum to spin into a kick. Killua easily side-stepped the cloth and caught the hero’s kick before pushing Aizawa’s leg to send him spinning.

 Killua took advantage of the momentary blind spot to throw a kick, but had to pull it back as Aizawa pulled his capture weapon down in preparation to wrap it around Killua’s leg. Aizawa took the moment to gain some distance and turned to face Killua down.

 “I thought you were faster than that.” Aizawa noted smugly.

 Killua simply grinned as he began circling the teacher, allowing his body to settle into the practiced rhythm required for his _ _Rhythm Echo.__  The illusion set in, soon making it appear as if over a dozen Killuas were circling the teacher in tandem. Eraserhead looked around warily, but steadily, as he prepared for the attack.

_Time to pick up the pace a bit._  Killua shot forward silently from one Aizawa’s blind spots, causing all of his illusions to disappear, but he was moving faster now. He landed a kick to the back of the teacher’s leg, causing him to drop to one knee. He tried to follow it up with a chop to the side of the neck, but Aizawa rolled away to stand back up. As soon as he was on his feet, he threw his capture weapon towards Killua again.

 Killua dashed forwards to close the distance, grabbing the cloth out of the air as he did. As he got closer, he grabbed more of it with his other hand and threw it right back in Aizawa’s face. Aizawa brought his arms up in a rush to clear his field of view, but Killua was already sending a kick into his back from behind.

 His leg crashed into Aizawa’s back, sending him sprawling forward. The teacher put out a hand to pivot and steady himself, quickly settling into a defensive stance as Killua pressed the attack. Killua feigned a punch, then a kick, using his attacks to trick Aizawa into creating an opening. Killua couldn’t afford to get wrapped up in cloth when Aizawa blocked his attacks and the hero’s defense was good, but Killua was just too fast for him to risk not blocking.

 He spotted an opening and shot a hand forward into Aizawa’s ribs, following it up by shooting in even closer to throw an elbow at the teacher’s face. Aizawa blocked and countered with a punch of his own, holding his capture weapon in the closed fist in an attempt to catch Killua with it. Killua ducked the punch and kicked the side of Aizawa’s knee hard, rocketing upward with an elbow as the teacher stumbled.

 The elbow caught Aizawa’s chin as he stumbled, throwing his head up and backwards. Killua ducked low again and struck the teacher’s mid-section with a palm, causing a grunt of pain as Aizawa doubled over.

 Killua felt the cloth wrap around behind him, somehow slipping under his arm. Aizawa looked up with a grunt as he pulled on the cloth, tightening it around Killua’s chest and trapping his right arm with it. Killua dashed forward and dropped, sliding himself under Aizawa’s legs and pulling the cloth with him. He used his free hand to pivot as he forced Aizawa to let the cloth slacken, or else be flipped onto his back.

 Killua felt his shoulder pop as he raised his arm up and slipped himself free of the capture weapon, but he didn’t feel any pain. He rolled his shoulder for good measure, noting that it was fine, before he shot forward to attack again.

 But as Aizawa brought his arms up to defend this time, Killua disappeared.

 His leg connected with the side of Aizawa’s head as the teacher turned to confront him, sending him stumbling. Killua dropped low and used a hand to pivot and bring his back leg around with the momentum, sweeping Aizawa’s legs out from under him and bringing him crashing down on his back. Before the teacher could recover, Killua was on him, trapping Aizawa’s arms with his knees and holding up the pair of handcuffs he had been given at the start.

 “Do I need these,” Killua began, “Or is that enough?”

 Aizawa groaned, “That’s enough. You pass.”

 A voice rang out over a nearby loudspeaker, “Aizawa is captured! Killua passes!”

 Killua grinned and stood up, holding out a hand to help Aizawa up. Aizawa accepted, and brushed himself off when he got to his feet.

 “You got faster at the end,” Aizawa grumbled. “Why didn’t you do that from the beginning?”

 Killua shrugged, “The students won’t learn anything if they can’t see what’s going on.”

 Aizawa studied him for a moment before trying to hide a grin, “Do you think we proved the point?”

 Killua shrugged again, “Only one way to find out.”

 Aizawa nodded and took a step, but grunted in pain and stopped.

 Killua cocked his head, “Is it bad?”

 Aizawa grit his teeth and shook his head, “I’ll be fine.”

 Killua grinned and stepped in front of him with his back turned, holding out his arms. “Hop on.”

 Aizawa glared at him, “I am not being carried back.”

 “Okay.” Killua said with a shrug, “Then let’s go.”

 Aizawa took another step and groaned.

 Killua sighed, flaring up his _Hatsu_ and activating _Godspeed._ In a flash, he had thrown Aizawa over his shoulder and was speeding back to the monitor room. In seconds, he opened the door and let Aizawa down on his good leg.

 Aizawa looked around to regain his bearings before glaring daggers at Killua, “I told you--”

 “Oh, quit being stubborn!” Recovery Girl scolded. She pushed him into a chair and kissed him on the forehead. He sighed in relief as her healing went to work and sank into the chair.

 “Man, that was awesome!” Kirishima yelled out.

 “Yeah, dude!” Kaminari exclaimed. “You were so fast!”

 “We thought he had you with his capture weapon at the end, but then you slipped under his legs!” Uraraka giggled.

 Killua rubbed his neck awkwardly at all the praise,

 “Indeed,” Ectoplasm confirmed, “That was well done. I expected no less.”

 “Thanks.” Aizawa grumbled under his breath.

 “We didn’t expect you to just stroll through the middle of the street like that at the beginning.” Yaoyorozu added.

 “That was genius!” Midoriya exclaimed. “You forced Aizawa-sensei to attack you on your terms, taking away one of his advantages and gaining one for yourself!”

 “How did you know his attack was coming?” Shoto asked calmly.

 Killua shrugged, “Instincts, I guess. When you fight a lot, in time you start to get a feeling when someone intends to attack you. You just have to trust your gut.”

 “How did you disappear like that? You gotta teach us this summer!” Kirishima demanded.

 Killua cocked his head, “I thought we already agreed to that?”

 “Yeah, but like..” Kaminari started, “Now we double-agree!”

 A few of the students nodded in agreement.

 “Yeah, we’ll work on that.” Killua looked around at the teachers. “Can we get the footage of the fight? It will be good to study.”

 A few of the students groaned, causing the teachers to laugh. “Oh no, Killua.” Present-Mic joked, “Don’t make them _study!”_

 Killua shook his head, “Come on, you had to know that was coming.”

 More groans came from the students, and Killua laughed. They might hate him by the time he was done, but it would be worth it.


	28. Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright I'm finally back with another chapter! Time to get things moving (finally)
> 
> If this chapter seems a bit rushed well.. it kind of is. The transition into the training camp isn't any different than canon, aside from Killua being there, so I didn't see much point to rewrite it with minor changes.
> 
> However! After this point, things are going to get wild. As in... canon out the window wild (in a way). Let's just hope you don't all hate me and it doesn't come back to bite me in the ass when the anime kicks back up again. 
> 
> As always, you know what to do! Let me know what you think because I get nervous when nobody comments xD. 
> 
> Note: I haven't read the manga and have no intention to. Once I catch up to where the anime left off I will probably take a break for a time before branching off into a few minor arcs of my own.

 “You’re still worried.” Tsukauchi observed.

 Killua nodded, “Yeah.”

 Tsukauchi sighed, “We don’t even know if Shigaraki knew that the students would be there.”

 Killua had been with Tsukauchi when the detective got the call about Midoriya’s run-in with the villain. Luckily, it seemed the villain had just wanted to talk, but something about it still made Killua’s skin crawl. Midoriya’s recounting of the events told Killua that Shigaraki was confident. The villain definitely had a few screws loose, but he wasn’t entirely stupid. Something was happening.

 “Maybe not,” Killua admitted, “But he was prepared.”

 “Aizawa said himself that the camp’s location was top-secret.” Tsukauchi countered. “They know what they’re doing, Killua.”

 “And what if someone else knows what they’re doing, as well?” Killua argued. “They are good, yes, but one of the first things I was taught is that no matter how good you are, there’s always someone better.”

 “What are you saying, Killua?” Tsukauchi asked, his face concerned.

 “You know who’s behind them, Tsukauchi.” Killua said firmly. “He could be five steps ahead and we wouldn’t know.”

 Tsukauchi paled, “Have you argued your case with the teachers?”

 Killua nodded, “I have, but they won’t back down. They’re too confident.”

 Tsukauchi sighed, “Listen. I know you’re concerned. We all are. However, the camp is meant to prepare you all for future villain attacks. U.A. can’t back down at every turn out of fear.”

 “All of the preparation in the world won’t matter if they’re dead, Tsukauchi.” Killua countered coldly.

 “What would you have them do?” Tsukauchi argued.

 “Hold the camp on school grounds!” Killua snapped. “Taking them off-campus to a remote location is an unnecessary risk!”

 Tsukauchi sighed, “I know. I don’t like it either. But they will be prepared, Killua. They’re bound to have a full staff of pro-heroes.”

 Killua shook his head, “I’m aware of that. There are just too many factors. Anything could go wrong.”

 “Only the heroes know the location. You students won’t even know until you’re there.”

 “I just have a bad feeling, Tsukauchi.” Killua said with a sigh. “Remember why I gave that advice to the students?”

 Tsukauchi nodded, “Of course.”

 Killua met his eyes, “What if someone already got to one of them and they’re afraid to say something?”

 Tsukauchi’s eyes narrowed, “That’s been considered, but we decided that it was too unlikely.”

 Killua sighed, “There are too many possibilities. Bugged phones, tracking devices, blackmail.. We have no way of knowing what they’re capable of.”

 “I’m certain they’ve considered the possibilities, Killua. I’ve worked with them for years. You can trust them to do their job.” Tsukauchi said firmly, then his eyes softened. “Besides, you’ll be there as well.”

 “That’s another thing I’m worried about, Tsukauchi. Next time they attack, they won’t underestimate us.”

 “It will be alright, Killua. If anything happens, they know how to get everyone out of harms way.”

 Killua sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to get anywhere. “Look, we’re going through with this either way. Just.. be prepared to send help. If I send you a location, move immediately.”

 Tsukauchi nodded without hesitation, “We will, I assure you.”

 Killua nodded, walking away to prepare to leave.

 

 _________________________________________________

 

“Due to recent events, we have decided to change the location of the camp once again.” Aizawa droned on, sounding bored. “Trust me when I say that the camp’s location has been privy only to the Principal, Vlad, myself, and the pro hero group that is meeting us there. Even you will not know the location until we reach it.

 “This camp is designed to put you all through the ringer, in order to push your limits. This camp will be so grueling that, by the end of the week, you will wish you had never went. Believe me.”

 Several of the students looked terrified, while a few perked up at the challenge. Killua’s mind was elsewhere, however.

 “Now, it’s time to go. Don’t waste time.”

 “Line up neatly, everyone!” Iida belted with enthusiasm.

 They followed with a few grumbles, and began boarding. Killua strayed towards the back of the line as his mind raced through all of the things that could go wrong. When it was almost Killua’s turn to board, Aizawa stopped him.

 “Killua, a moment.”

 Killua stopped and raised an eyebrow, followed as Aizawa led him a few feet away from the bus.

 “You’re worried.” Aizawa stated flatly.

 “Yeah.” Killua said simply.

 “Don’t be.” Aizawa said gruffly. “The villains have no way of knowing where the camp is located.”

 _We don’t have the intel to be so confident._ Killua thought. He turned to walk away, “Yeah.”

 “Killua..” Aizawa began, warning in his tone.

 Killua looked back expectantly.

 “Do you know something, or is it in your gut?” Aizawa asked seriously.

 “Just a bad feeling.”

 “I see,” Aizawa’s tone wasn’t dismissive, but he didn’t appear to be concerned. “We have taken every precaution, Killua. You should worry more about surviving the camp itself.”

 _That’s exactly what I’m worried about._  Killua thought. Saying nothing more, he simply nodded and boarded the bus. He spotted Shouto sitting alone and took the seat next to him silently. Shouto studied him for a few moments before looking away without a word as the bus began to depart.

 

_________________________________________________________

 

 Killua and Shouto both kept themselves out of the conversations around them, which only succeeded in inviting questioning glances and further pestering from the more out-going students in the class. The students knew the two of them to be loners, as had been pointed out on multiple occasions, so it didn’t take them long to leave them alone. For the most part.

 Iida poked his head over the seat behind them, to ask in a low voice, “Are you two okay?”

 “Yeah.” They both answered in a similar flat tone.

 “O-Okay… if you’re sure.” Iida said with a confused look.

 Both of them nodded, causing Iida to grow more confused, but he took on a mildly amused look as well. He shook his head and disappeared behind the seat.

 After a moment, Shouto looked over to Killua before asking quietly. “You’re worried, too.”

 Killua nodded, “Yeah.”

 Shouto sighed, “Me too. Taking us to a remote location doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

 “I know.” Killua sighed, “I tried to say it was a bad idea, but they’re confident.”

 “They’re pros,” Shouto said with a nod, “but going off campus doesn’t seem necessary.”

 “Yeah. There’s too much we don’t know.” Killua said, then shrugged. “I guess we just have to be careful.”

 Shouto gave a small smile, “With our class?”

 Killua shook his head, but grinned. “How could I forget.”

 The bus pulled to a stop once again. Killua was beginning to grow tired of randomly stopping at rest stops, but as he looked out the window he noticed that there was nothing man-made in sight. Curious, he got off the bus with the rest of the students to take a look around.

 They had stopped on the edge of a cliff, giving them a view of the sea of forest below. In the distance, the horizon showed a range of mountains. The only sign of civilization was the road they had pulled off of.

_We really are heading for a remote location, then._

“Where’s Class B?” Someone asked.

 Killua watched as a black car pulled up and stopped. The doors opened to reveal two women, both scantily dressed, closely matching one another in their attire aside from the fact that one wore a light blue, while the other wore red. Killua noted with curiosity at the paw-like gloves on their hands. If they even were gloves.

_You never know in this world._

Soon after, a young boy hesitantly stepped out of the car. He stood by, looking entirely unimpressed as he glared at everyone around him.

 “Hey, Eraser!” One of the women said.

 “Long time no see.” Eraser replied.

 “The Wild, Wild Pussycats!” Midoriya gushed. “They’re a pro-hero team that specializes in forest and mountain rescue! They’ve been working together for almost 12--”

 The blonde woman in the blue skirt dashed forward and interrupted him, “I’m 18 at heart!”

 _Not._ Killua thought with mild amusement.

 “Greet them, everyone.” Aizawa demanded.

 “Nice to meet you!” Everyone said in greeting.

 “We own this whole stretch of land here,” The brunette said, pointing far out into the distance. “You will be staying at the foot of that mountain.”

 “Then.. why are we stopped here?” Uraraka asked.

 “Does that mean…?” Asui wondered, trailing off.

 “Let’s just.. go back to the bus.” Sero suggested weakly.

 “Yeah…” Kaminari agreed.

 “It’s 9:30 a.m. right now.” The brunette in red pointed out with a menacing grin, “If you’re fast.. You might be able to make it around noon. If you don’t make it by 12:30.. you don’t get lunch.”

 “No way!”

 “Let’s get out of here!”

 The students began running for the bus, but Killua and a few others stayed put. Killua shook his head as he gleaned what the purpose of this was.

 Aizawa confirmed it, “Sorry, Kids… But training camp has already begun.”

 The blonde woman cut off the retreating students, pushing her hands to the ground. The earth began to rumble, soon turning into a violent shake, before erupting. The students were sent plummeting off the cliff by a massive wave of dirt and mud, screaming as they fell. Luckily, the ground wasn’t as far as Killua originally thought, and everyone stood up unharmed if a little banged up.

 “Hey! This is private land, so feel free to use your quirks to make it back!” One of the women called from above.

 Puzzled looks were shared around the group.

 “We have to go through there?” Kaminari asked.“

 I guess we don’t have a choice. Let’s get moving.” Yaoyorozu stated.

 “Stick together in groups.” Killua suggested. “Don’t wander off. There has to be more to this.”

 The class made their way into the forest cautiously after that, fanning out but sticking close enough to be in sight of each other. Killua studied the forest around them, sensing nothing out of place. Nobody watching them, unless they were extremely good. Until the ground began to shake.

 Ahead of them, a massive beast trudged towards them. Shocked gasps rang out from the students as they stared at it with wide eyes.

 _So it’s not some common beast, then._  Killua observed. He acted quickly, shooting himself into the air above the beast as he called forth his lightning. Finger pointed down, he gathered the lightning in his fingertip before unleashing it upon the beast. _Thunderbolt!_

The lightning tore through the air, crashing down upon the beast with a loud crack. The beast stopped in it’s tracks, parts of it falling apart and turning an angry red. The attack didn’t do as much damage as he had hoped.

 He landed behind the beast and dashed around to group up with the other students as a wave of ice crashed forward to lock the beast in place.

 “Recipro-burst!” Iida flew forward to throw an engine-powered kick, destroying the beast’s arm.

 “Die!” Bakugou screamed as he blew off the other with an explosion.

 “Smash!” Midoriya yelled, destroying the rest of it.

 “Pixie-bob’s quirk.” Midoriya called out after he landed. “She must have made these as obstacles.”

 “There’s more incoming!” Jirou called out.

_This is going to be a long day._


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nerf Killua.

 It took them almost all day to get back to the camp.

 They broke through the treeline into a clearing, heaving sighs of relief as they spotted the teachers and the buildings they stood in front of. Some of the students had minor injuries, scrapes and bruises all around. Iida was limping, which raised some concern in Killua. Recovery Girl wouldn’t be here with them, so any injuries would have to be treated normally.

 Killua stretched and worked the kinks out of his muscles. He was tired, of course, but not as exhausted as the rest of them. He had gotten a better judgement of his limits with _ _Godspeed__ , however, having spent most of the time jumping between the impromptu teams to assist when they began to struggle.

 Killua noted that their teamwork was becoming impressive. Midoriya, Bakugou, Shouto, and Iida made an almost unstoppable team, of course, but the rest of the students had grown well together also. Most of them worked seamlessly to take down the beasts, rarely getting in the way of each other and always supporting each others’ weaknesses.

 Killua found that he didn’t exactly fit with the rest of them, but that was to be expected. The students spent almost every day together, training and communicating as friends. Killua, as much as he had worked his way into their group, was still at a distance. An outsider. His hero name suited him.

 He didn’t mind. He was used to working alone and usually preferred it. However, this being the next generation of heroes had made him do his best to fit in. They were his friends, after all, as odd of a concept as that was to consider.

 “Three hours?!” Someone demanded breathlessly.

 “Hmm, that took a lot longer!” Mandalay observed.

 “Honestly, I expected it to take even longer.” Pixie-bob admitted. “You all did really well, especially you five!”

 She pointed out Iida, Midoriya, Todoroki, Bakugou, and Killua. Her expression grew excited as she rushed forward, “I can’t wait to see where you all end up in a few years! I call dibs on all of you! You have--”

 Killua tuned her out and stepped back awkwardly while the rest of the students gaped at her in disbelief. She grabbed his arm before he could escape.

 “Hey! You look familiar. Have I seen you before?” Pixie-Bob asked, studying him with a glint in her eyes.

 “That’s Anomaly.” Aizawa pointed out gruffly.

 She perked up, “Ooo! I’ve heard a lot about you! Brought down that hero killer and helped grumpy old Vlad with a villain!”

 Killua blushed under the attention and rubbed his neck awkwardly, “Yeah..”

 “Alright!” Aizawa called out. “Go get your stuff from the bus and meet us inside! Pixie-Bob, leave my student alone!”

 She let go with an exasperated sigh, then smiled at him. “Let me know if you start getting bored!”

 She walked away before he could answer, leaving him confused. Killua didn’t have a difficult time, exactly, but he wasn’t bored. The trek to the camp kept him busy enough, and had even been fun at times. Watching everyone work together so well was interesting.

_Probably because I’m the only one that’s not collapsing from exhaustion. Or injured._ Killua noted to himself.

 Killua shrugged it off and walked away to get his things from the bus, noting a few exasperated looks from the rest of the students.

 “Dude,” Kirishima called out, “Are you even tired?”

 Killua cocked his head, “Yeah.”

 “Bullshit!” Bakugou argued.

 Killua shrugged, “I grew up doing things like this, without the earth-beasts. We have bigger things.”

 “What?!”

 “Yeah,” Killua started. “They called us Hunters for a reason.”

 “Oh!” Ashido realized. “So you guys take down real creatures like that?”

 Killua nodded, “That’s part of it. You guys had robots for your exam, we had giant monsters and serial killers.”

 “I’m suddenly glad I live here..” Uraraka admitted, and several students agreed.

 “That’s so manly!” Kirishima yelled.

 Killua shrugged again, then turned to head back to camp with the rest of them, allowing himself to enjoy the sounds of the forest around them. Birds chirping their songs together, leaves rusting from their branches as a breeze swept through. The occasional branch snapping on the ground in the distance. He took a deep breath, appreciating the clean air outside of a city for the first time since he had arrived in this world.

 He smiled as he took in the calm atmosphere, a stark contrast to the bustle and rush of the city.

 “It’s nice, isn’t it?” Midoriya asked from next to him.

 “Yeah. It’s been a while.” Killua said calmly.

 “I think it’s creepy.” Jirou stated.

 Kaminari laughed, “Yeah, like you never know what’s out there.”

 “It’s too quiet.” Ashido complained.

 Killua shook his head, “It’s peaceful. Being in the city all the time is exhausting.”

 “Clean air is good.” Tsuyu added.

 Killua nodded his agreement as they approached the entrance to where they would be staying. As they entered, the warm scent of food assaulted his nostrils. Everyone groaned in hunger as the scent reached them, and soon they were all rushing in to discover the source.

 Pixie-Bob and Mandalay greeted them, “Come on in and eat, you’ll need it!”

 They didn’t waste any time, hurrying in to sit down and giving rushed thanks to Mandalay, who laughed. “This is the only time we’ll be cooking for you, so enjoy it while you can!”

 They did.

 Once the edge had been taken off their hunger, conversations began to bloom in earnest. Speculation of what the week would bring, talks about Class B, and even some analysis about what they experienced on their adventure to their destination.

 “By the way, thanks for bailing us out back there, Killua.” Ashido called out.

 “Yeah, you were everywhere dude!” Kaminari added.

 Killua shrugged it off awkwardly, “You guys work well together.”

 “Yeah but you always knew when we were having it rough and jumped in to help!” Uraraka pointed out.

 “I didn’t know what else to do.” Killua admitted.

 “What do you mean, Killua?” Iida asked.

 Killua shrugged, “You all fit together so well. I didn’t want to mess up the chemistry.”

 “You didn’t.” Yaoyorozu pointed out. “You complimented our strategy perfectly every time you jumped in, as if you knew what we were trying to do.”

 “He did.” Shouto said confidently.

 “Nerd!” Bakugou accused, though without hostility.

 Killua laughed, “Aren’t you one of the top students?”

 “Yeah, what about it?!” Bakugou growled.

 “I don’t even take your classes, how am I a nerd?”

 “Fighting nerd.” Bakugou grumbled.

 Killua grinned and shook his head as the rest of the class laughed.

 “Once everyone is finished,” Mandalay called as she returned, “Get cleaned up and feel free to use the hot springs! One side for boys, one side for girls!”

 “Hot springs?!” Several students blurted out.

 “Yep!” Mandalay confirmed cheerfully.

 Upon hearing that, sore muscles and aching bruises caused everyone to quickly devour the rest of their food. Before long, most of the food was gone and they began cleaning up their mess, Some of the students even decided to use their quirks to speed up the process.

 Once Killua was finished helping with the clean up, he slipped out to avoid being pulled to the springs with the rest of the students and headed outside. There was something about the forest at night that was peaceful to him. He often found solace in the forests around the mountain back home when he was younger, practicing his skills and hanging out in the trees.

 He stepped out into the night, far enough to have some peace and quiet, but close enough to keep the building in his line of sight. He sat and enjoyed the peace for a while before he decided to practice something he hadn’t practice in quite a while: _ _En.__

 He remembered the process, flaring his aura and giving it shape at the same time. He started small, around 20 yards, before beginning to slowly push it outwards. He stopped when he felt it begin to strain him and judged the distance. Around 45 meters. He would need to spend more time practicing the other parts of _ _Nen,__  feeling guilty for putting it off for so long in favor of his _ _Hatsu__.

_An assassin uses every tool at their disposal._ One of his father’s many sayings. Killua knew that it was true, however a few of the techniques would be useless in this world. He also preferred to use electricity for speed and to use his regular aura for defense. Putting all of his aura into one powerful attack was never his way.

 “What’s wrong?” Killua said suddenly as he picked up movement.

 “You aren’t with the others.” Aizawa observed gruffly.

 “No.”

 “Why not?” Aizawa asked nonchalantly.

 “Been a while since I’ve been out in the wilderness.”

 “I see. How did you know I was here?” Aizawa asked.

 “I felt it.” Killua replied simply.

 Aizawa hummed in consideration before oddly taking a seat nearby. “Is that a part of your powers?”

 Killua nodded, “I was practicing what’s called _ _En__ , basically pushing my aura outwards into a circle. I feel anyone or anything that enters.”

 Aizawa grunted, “That’s useful.”

 “Yeah, but I’m out of practice.”

 “I see.” He was silent for a moment. “The students were asking about you.”

 Killua cocked his head, “And?”

 Aizawa studied Killua for a while before looking away. “They worry about you.”

 “They shouldn’t.”

 Aizawa grunted, “But you worry about them.”

 Killua shrugged, “Sometimes.”

 Aizawa snorted in amusement. “It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”

 Killua stood up and brushed himself off. “Yeah, hot springs sound pretty nice.”

 

 __________________________________________

 

 They were woken up early the next day for training, causing groans and grumbling from everyone as they stumbled out of bed. Killua was not a morning person, but the abrupt wake-up was enough to clear the haze from his mind as he jolted to alertness and sprang up to get ready.

 Killua was the first to arrive outside, much to the approval of the heroes.

 “That was fast.” Aizawa noted with a raised eyebrow.

 Killua shrugged, “Light sleeper.”

 Aizawa grunted and fell silent as they waited for the other students to emerge. Before long, the rest of the students began trickling out, rubbing sleep from their eyes and grumbling about being up so early after the day they had yesterday.

 Once they were all gathered, Aizawa stepped up to address them. “You’re tired, but get used to it. We only have a week to get you as prepared as possible for the future, and we’re going to push your limits.” He pulled a baseball out of somewhere. “Bakugou! Step forward.”

 Bakugou stepped forward and Aizawa handed him the ball.

 “You remember the test we did on the first day. Do the same thing now.”

 Bakugou nodded, taking a deep breath and swinging his arm back before thrusting forward with an explosion, sending the ball rocketing into the air.

 A few moments later, Aizawa looked down at his device, “709.6 meters.” He called out. “As you can see, while your abilities have improved significantly, your quirks have hardly improved at all. That’s what we’re here to work on. In order to improve, this will be so hard that you will want to give up. But.. try not to actually die.”

 Killua considered what to work on. He was used to his electricity by now and it hardly drained any energy from him. _ _Godspeed__  was a thought, but he wasn’t exactly sure how to work on that. Just running in circles wouldn’t help him very much. However, his other aura abilities could use some work…

 “Pixie-Bob!” Killua called suddenly.

 “Yes, Anomaly?” She called back.

 “Could you create an earth-beast for me? I need something to hit.”

 “Sure thing! Just don’t die.” Pixie-Bob replied with a giggle. She placed her hands on the ground for a moment, and the ground rumbled behind him. He turned to watch as a giant earth-beast emerged, staring down at him.

 Killua flared his aura as the beast swung at him, then dashed forward. He focused his aura, keeping around 30% on his entire body and pushing the other 70% to his fist before planting his foot and meeting the swing with a punch. The beast’s arm cracked, then broke and fell apart. Killua dashed back, shaking the mild sting out of his hand as he considered.

__I won’t be as strong as Gon, or any other Enhancer. But if they don’t have Nen to defend with…__  He powered up again, this time focusing all of his aura into his leg as he ducked under the beast’s next swing to deliver a kick. The beast’s leg shattered and sent pieces flying, causing it to stumble. He rolled to get out of the way as it fell, then focused the aura on his hand to send another powered-up punch. This time he slammed his fist into it’s back, breaking the beast apart and rendering it useless.

 “Wow!” Pixie-Bob called out. “You could match Midoriya!”

 Killua stopped to think for a moment. Midoriya’s punch had done similar, but he was holding back. Killua had seen how the boy’s arms had broken on a few occasions, but he had learned to control it. He looked over to watch as Midoriya went up against Tiger, waiting for a pause.

 When Midoriya went down, Killua ran up to Tiger. “Could I borrow Midoriya for a second?”

 Tiger looked down at him and hummed, “Go ahead.”

 As they walked away a few feet, Killua studied Midoriya. “How much of your power can you safely use?”

 Midoriya stared at him for a moment, then looked around. “About 5%.”

 Killua’s eyebrow raised. He had thought that Midoriya had been using a lot more than that. He grinned widely. “Punch me.”

 “..What?”

 “Punch me!” Killua repeated. “Don’t hold back, but don’t hurt yourself.”

 Midoriya looked at Tiger, who had a finger to his chin thoughtfully. “Go ahead.”

 Killua grinned, flaring his aura to cover his body evenly for defense. Midoriya looked doubtful, but quickly put on a determined expression as energy flowed through him. He dashed forward, winding up a punch and taking a wide swing right at Killua’s face. Killua pushed 70% of his aura there and kept the rest at 30%. And didn’t even move to block it.

 The punch landed, crashing into Killua’s face and sending him sliding backwards. He smiled as he realized that it had hardly hurt with _ _Nen__  to protect against it. He rubbed his face, just in case, and found no pain other than a mild sting.

 “Thanks, Midoriya!”

 “You didn’t even try to block it?!” Midoriya said with confusion.

 “Nope!” Killua said. “I was testing my defenses. Aura stuff.”

 Midoriya stared at him for a moment before beaming. “That was awesome! Did it even hurt?!”

 Killua shrugged, “A little. I definitely don’t want to feel that at full-power.”

 Midoriya laughed, “Yeah.. neither do I.”

 Killua grinned, “You’ll get there. Keep it up!”

 Midoriya beamed at him again, nodding eagerly before running back to join Tiger.

 “Anomaly!” Vlad called out as he strode forward. Class-B was beginning to move to appropriate training areas.

 “Hey, Vlad.” Killua greeted.

 “I wasn’t aware that you were here as a teacher.” Vlad stated with a hint of question.

 Killua raised an eyebrow, “I’m not. I wanted to test how well I could take a direct hit from someone with an enhancer quirk.”

 Vlad hummed in thought, “What, you haven’t been hit yet?”

 Killua shrugged, “Once or twice. I got hit by the Nomu at USJ.”

 Vlad’s eyes widened slightly, “How did that go?”

 “It hurt, but nothing broke.”

 Vlad grunted, “Keep it up! If you need anyone else to train with, let me know.”

 Killua grinned, “Are you volunteering?”

 Vlad barked a laugh, “No. That wouldn’t look good in front of my students.”

 Killua shrugged, “Okay. See ya later!”

 Vlad nodded and walked away to have a conversation with Aizawa.

 “Want another one, Anomaly?” Pixie-Bob called out.

 “If you don’t mind.”

_Let’s see who runs out of energy first._


	30. Confirmation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Climbing up a sketchy roller coaster here we gooooo

 By the following day, Killua had refreshed himself enough to make quick changes in the flow of his normal aura, taking down beast after beast until Pixie-Bob had finally decided to cut him off, reasoning that she still had other students to train. He had apologized for taking so much of her time, though she didn’t seem to actually be upset. If anything, she seemed impressed.

 That morning, Pixie-Bob had been apologetic yet adamant that she wouldn’t be giving him any earth-beasts to train with.

 “I’m sure you have plenty of other things to work on, Killua.” Aizawa pointed out.

 “I do.”

 Killua had pushed his limits with _ _Godspeed__  from the day he had learned how to do it, extending his limit from mere minutes to upwards of an hour. He hadn’t kept it up until he ran out of energy for some time, though he used it every day. Most days saw multiple uses for extended periods of time.

 That’s why he found himself running laps around the entire training ground, zipping past students that were hard at work training their quirks and pushing their limits to the max. He noted expressions of frustration, determination, stress and strain all around, but he knew they wanted to do this. They needed to.

 He remembered his days of training with Gon, learning the __Nen__  principles and pushing their limits. Just as these students now were. It was brutal and exhausting, but he would do it all over again. His power and skills had improved vastly in that time with Bisky, and he had only grown more since then. While he had neglected a few of his skills, he was overall much stronger and had tighter control over his abilities.

 That strength and skill had come from pushing himself and constantly being in danger. While Killua didn’t want the students to be in danger, of course, he couldn’t deny that it had helped them develop their skills. They just had to make sure that the danger didn’t get them killed. Unfortunately, caution hadn’t been drilled into their minds quite yet, as it had with Killua.

_If you aren’t absolutely certain of success, wait or retreat._

In Killua’s previous line of work, acting was a commitment. Once you made your move, you either succeeded or revealed yourself. That’s when the fight would begin. As an assassin, fighting meant that you made a mistake. Of course he still learned how to fight, and very well, but the problem was that he was taught how to fight with the intent to kill. Everyone in his family had learned to keep those killer instincts in a dark place, ever present and ready to surface. Not every mission had required killing, after all. Just most of them.

 Killua had never truly wanted to kill, not in the way that his family did. He didn’t want to kill for personal or monetary gains, but he had threatened to kill in order to protect Gon and he was more than willing to follow through. To protect himself or to protect others, he wouldn’t hesitate, because he knew that their enemies wouldn’t either. He refused to give himself a disadvantage.

 Stain was an exception, because he didn’t want his friends to see him do that at the time. He was also fairly confident in his ability to win regardless. That confidence had almost gotten him killed.

_Confidence rides a fine line between an advantage and a disadvantage. Too little or too much is a weakness. Balance is key._

He had grown overconfident during his time in this world. He trained hard and refined his skills, of course, but he hadn’t fought a truly worthy opponent until Endeavor. Riding the high of that fight, he had ended up against Stain. The hero killer wasn’t that strong, but Killua had allowed himself to get distracted and had almost died for it.

 How could he ingrain that caution into his friends without the training that he had received? Could he? Should he? It had become obvious to him that heroes often had to throw themselves into situations where the outcome was uncertain. That was part of the job, part of why it was so dangerous. The #1 hero himself was always willing to throw himself into any fight, regardless of the odds.

 They were cut from a different cloth. That was becoming increasingly more obvious. He had to find a way to impart caution without making the future heroes hesitate in their doubts. Hesitation would get them or someone else killed.

_Balance is key._

They didn’t always have the luxury of waiting for the perfect moment to strike. They wouldn’t be shadowing someone for days or weeks to learn their routines, noting every step they made, how long they would be in one place or another. How long they would be alone. Heroes didn’t get to fight on their terms, and killing wasn’t even an option. Killing was a mistake.

 Killua wasn’t sure if he was qualified to help the students find that balance. He hardly had a grasp of that balance himself, considering his mistake against Stain.

_If anyone would know that balance…_

Killua sped back to where the teachers were stationed, observing the training from a distance and only stepping in to give advice and pointers when they saw fit. He spotted Aizawa who somehow managed to be watching like a hawk while looking utterly bored and tired.

 He stopped in front of him in an instant, earning himself a flash of surprise and a raised eyebrow.

 “What is it, Killua?”

 Killua didn’t drop _ _Godspeed__ , as he still had a good amount of energy left. “I need some advice.”

 “I see.” Aizawa said gruffly, “Are you going to stay like that the whole time?”

 “I would like to,” Killua replied, “I want to be able to keep it up longer.”

 Aizawa nodded, “Fair enough. What do you need?”

 Killua took a deep breath as he considered, “Heroes need to be cautious, right? But sometimes they have to throw caution to the wind. How do you find the balance?”

 Aizawa considered him for a moment, humming in thought. Then, he turned away and yelled roughly. “That’s enough for now. Everyone gather around!”

 Mandalay relayed the orders, and quickly students began to make their way back and gather around. Some were relieved to have a break, while a few of the others seemed frustrated by the interruption. Very few, but there were some.

_Leave it to Aizawa to turn everything into a lesson._

 Once they were all back, Aizawa addressed them, “Killua here had a question that usually wouldn’t be an issue until your second or third year. However, considering the circumstances we’re going to speak of this now.”

 “What was the question?” Kirishima blurted out.

 Aizawa shot him a withering glance, then continued. “As heroes, we need to be cautious. Acting with overconfidence or a lack of self-preservation makes you a liability and can lead to others getting hurt. Or killed.” Aizawa paused to look over every single student to drive his point home. “However, heroes also find themselves in situations where they have to act regardless, whether they know what they’re up against or not. That’s part of the job. Killua’s question, then, was how do you find the balance?

 “My immediate response would be that you learn from experience. That’s true, but it’s also something that you can learn. Now: There are some of you that are naturally cautious. You observe and gather information to formulate plans before you act, but often hesitate when you’re faced with unknown variables. Correct?”

 A few of the students nodded in agreement, albeit reluctantly.

 “What can be done to remedy that?” Aizawa asked.

 Killua responded immediately, “Confidence. They already have the objective knowledge, but they don’t have the confidence to adjust their plans and adapt on the fly.”

 Aizawa nodded, “Correct. However, confidence requires the finest balance. Too much and you won’t consider consequences, too little and you won’t act at all. Secondly, there are those of you who don’t hesitate to rush head-first into danger at all. That often leads to mistakes, especially against people who plan for that. How can that be remedied?”

 “Caution.” Yaoyorozu volunteered, “Plan ahead and gather information. They already know how to adapt, because they fight with changes in mind.”

 “Usually, yes.” Aizawa confirmed. “The point is, you need to be aware of what you can do, from an objective standpoint, have the confidence to act and adapt, and the caution to consider the consequences and what could go wrong. Most of you know where you stand, your job is to identify your weaknesses and find the balance.”

 “That’s so many things!” Kaminari complained.

 “Those are things that a hero needs to keep in mind when they act. For now, you need to think on it and analyze your own faults. Keep them in mind as you grow and with experience, you will be able to act quickly and accordingly. Any questions?”

 There were a few whispers and mumbled comments, but nobody spoke up.

 “Back to it, then!” Aizawa ordered.

 As they all went back to their training, Aizawa turned back to Killua.

 “As you can see, there is no right answer for everyone. You have to look at yourself. You’re cautious by nature, and you have the skills and training to plan and adapt. You don’t hesitate to act. What exactly are you having trouble with?”

 Killua sighed, “I don’t hesitate because, since I came to this world, I’ve always been confident that I could win.”

 “And you have.” Aizawa raised an eyebrow. “What’s the problem?”

 “Two things. I was too confident when I fought Stain. I made a mistake and I slipped up, almost getting myself killed. It was only because I figured out a new trick that I survived.”

 It wasn’t the whole truth, exactly, but the point still stood. Aizawa considered, “And the second thing?”

 “I haven’t encountered it here, but when I’m faced with someone who I know is stronger than me.. every instinct tells me to run away. That’s how I was trained. If success isn’t guaranteed, wait or retreat. That won’t be an option in this line of work. And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that there is always someone better. I can’t afford to freeze up when that happens.”

 Aizawa hummed in thought, staying silent for a long moment. “It’s not an easy thing to break free from your instincts, especially when they’re so deeply ingrained. The best way would be to train with someone who is stronger than you.”

 Killua sighed, “Yeah.”

 Aizawa studied him for a moment, then sighed. “I have a few ideas, besides the obvious one. I’ll get in contact with them once the camp is over.”

 Killua nodded, “Okay.”

 “Now, back to training. After dinner, we have more plans.”

 Killua nodded and took off again, this time without __Godspeed.__  If they had more plans, he would make sure to have enough energy.

 

 _________________________________________

 

 They were in charge of making curry again for dinner, but everyone quickly settled into rhythm once again, using their quirks and other skills to speed up the process and make it more efficient than the previous night. Killua mostly stayed out of the way, but would fetch ingredients as they were called for. His cooking skills were dismal at best.

 The curry was better than the previous night, as well, but they wouldn’t complain either way. Everyone was famished, as was expected from their full day of training. Killua sat down to eat his without complaint, choosing a seat near Shouto and Yaoyorozu.

 “Have fun speeding around the training grounds?” Shouto asked casually.

 Killua shrugged, “Yeah. I can keep it up a lot longer than the first few times. How about you?”

 Shouto gave a small smile, “Getting better control over my fire. More power, as well.”

 Killua grinned, “Awesome. Everything going good, then?”

 Shouto studied him for a moment, then nodded, “Much better.”

 Killua nodded, “Good.” He turned to Yaoyorozu. “Make anything crazy today?”

 She smiled pleasantly, “Nothing special, really. I’m just focusing on speeding up the process and making it more efficient.”

 “Faster cannons!” Ashido shouted from further down the table.

 An explosion rang out from the table behind them, followed by laughter. Killua turned around to see Bakugou fuming about something while Kirishima and Kaminari laughed at his expense.

 “Say that again, Shitty-hair!” Bakugou roared.

 “Enough!” Aizawa ordered. “Finish eating and clean up. We have more training to do.”

 Killua didn’t miss the grin on their teacher’s face as they groaned, and Killua assumed that none of the heroes had told them about it.

 “You knew, didn’t you?” Shouto asked with an accusing glare.

 Killua shrugged, “I knew we were doing something.”

 “Not fair!” Uraraka complained.

 “Why you gotta be such a teacher’s pet, Sparky?!” Bakugou asked mockingly.

 Killua shrugged, “Not my fault.”

 Killua ignored the rest of their complaints as they hurried to clean up their mess, taking care of their own dishes and working together to get rid of the cookware. The process was over quickly, and soon they found themselves gathered in front of a forest path with the teachers.

 “Unfortunately, those of you that failed the exam are going to come with me for Remedial lessons.” Aizawa informed them.

 “Noooo, come on!” Kirishima complained.

 “Too bad. You’ve falled behind, and now you have to make up for it!”

 They complained further, to the point that Aizawa wrapped them all up in his capture weapon as they tried to get away. “You don’t have a choice,” He growled. “Let’s go!”

 He dragged them away, and some of the students laughed before the Pussycats gave them the rundown.

 “Okay! We’re doing what we call the Test of Courage!” Mandalay began. “Class B has set themselves up in the forest to use their quirks to scare you, and you have to make it all the way through! You’ll be going in pairs and drawing for your groups. We’ll send you out in intervals.”

 They drew their lots, and after counting the odd number of students, and watching everyone pair up, he realized he was alone. He shrugged it off.

 Two by two, the pairs were sent into the forest, and before long Killua heard screams tearing through the normal quiet of the forest.

  _ _Easy.__  Killua thought, shaking his head. He doubted that any of the students would be able to catch him off guard. None of them had the proper training. He would stroll through the forest without a problem. Except…

 A sound caught his attention, and he looked over to see Pixie-Bob on the ground, unconscious and bleeding from a head wound. Two people stood over him, one of them a rather plain-looking man with long, brown hair. The other had the appearance of a reptile, wearing a scarf and wrappings that looked distinctly familiar.

 “How are you this evening, U.A. High school?” The reptilian asked with his arms spread wide, “We are the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains!”


	31. Rampage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's where everything gets crazy. Don't say I didn't warn you! 
> 
> Welcome to the land of "This author is going to butcher everything"
> 
> Also, pacing is actually so hard to do.

 “Shall I crush this girl’s head? What do you think, kids?” The brown-haired one asked mockingly.

 Killua activated _ _Godspeed,__ but the reptilian put his arms up to stop the other villain.

 “Wait up! Both of you!” The reptilian called out. “It all depends on whether the power over life and death follows Stain’s tenets or not.”

 “So you’re what his ideal brought along?” Iida demanded.

 “Yeah! Oh--” The villain stopped, pointing to Killua. “You’re the one who took down Stain! I apologize for the late introduction.” He began to pull his weapon from his back, but Killua didn’t give them the time.

 He jolted forward in a flash, sending an electrified kick into the plain-looking villain and sending him to the ground. He picked up Pixie-Bob effortlessly, pivoting and dashing back towards the heroes. As he passed the reptilian, he slammed his palm against the villain’s back and sent a surge of electricity through him, causing him to grunt in pain as his body failed to cooperate.

 Back with the heroes, he lightly set Pixie-Bob on the ground behind them and stood to face the villains once again. He snuck his phone out of his pocket and silently sent his location to Tsukauchi, hoping that the message would get through with the spotty service. Even if it managed to go through, it would be far too late before help arrived. They were on their own.

 “I’ve sent a warning to Vlad and Eraser to keep the students they have there.” Mandalay informed them, but she looked terrified. Killua noticed Midoriya looking at her with horror.

 “Go! Don’t fight them. Go meet with your teachers. We’ll handle the rest!” She continued.

 The students hesitated waiting for Midoriya and Killua. Midoriya waved them forward, “I’ll catch up. Go!” As they ran off, Midoriya turned back to Mandalay, “I know where he is!”

_Kouta._ Killua realized. He turned to Midoriya, “Can you handle it?”

 Midoriya nodded without hesitation.

 “Go.” Killua ordered, “I’m going to get help the students get out.”

 Midoriya nodded and ran off.

 “Anomaly, you’re still--” Mandalay began.

 “Not now.” Killua said coldly, and then he was off.

 As soon as he entered the forest, he turned off __Godspeed,__ reverting to his normal form to conserve energy, just in case. The forest was an easy hunting ground for him, and he sped silently through the forest as fast as he could, keeping his eyes and ears out for any students. Anything else out of the ordinary. He jumped from tree to tree, staying off of the direct path but keeping it in plain sight.

_There!_ He spotted Uraraka and Asui facing off against a female he didn’t recognize. He vaguely took in her blonde hair and oversized sweater, then saw that she was holding a knife. He dropped down and slammed a palm into her back, quickly activating his _Hatsu_  to send electricity jolting through her body. She froze up and screamed, dropping the knife in the process. He knocked her out with a swift chop to the neck.

 He turned to the two girls. “Are you two okay?”

 They nodded weakly in response.

 “Good.” He pointed at the dropped villain. “Uraraka, can you make her float for a while? We need to clear the retreat for the other students.”

 She nodded and leaned down to place all five fingers on the fallen villain, sending her into the air. Killua leaped up and pushed her off of the path to clear the way. “Thanks, Uraraka. Head back to the camp and meet with the heroes. They’ll tell you what to do.”

 “O-Okay. What about you?” Uraraka asked.

 “Going to find the others.”

 She nodded weakly, “Be careful, Killua.”

 “Of course.”

 He disappeared silently into the trees again, trusting them to make their way back. The wind pulled at him as he leaped through the forest, the only sound the faint rustling of his clothes. He spotted a hazy, smoky substance floating through the air. Not the burning smell that had drifted towards them before, but something different. Likely poisonous, and it was getting getting more dense the deeper he went.

_I can’t know if I’m immune to it, so I have to be careful._ He held his breath as he went, leaping from tree to tree smoothly as he surveyed his surroundings. He kept going, spotting no signs of movement and hearing nothing until something out of place caught his attention. He dropped down to the path to find an unconscious student.

 He sensed movement as a group of students from Class B emerged from the trees wearing gas masks. One of them was carrying an unconscious student. He recognized Tetsutetsu, who called out. “Anomaly!”

 “Gas masks?” Killua asked.

 “Yeah, we have a bunch.” He replied, turning around and showing a few hanging from his belt. “Take one.”

 Killua grabbed one and strapped it on quickly. “Thanks.”

 Just then, Kendo came running down the path, holding her hands out to block the gas from two more students. Tetsetsu called out, “Kendo!”

 “Where did you get the masks?” She asked.

 “Yaoyorozu. Take one.”

 She did, strapping one on her face and handing another to one of the students she was protecting. “We need to get back to camp.”

 “No. I’m staying to fight.” Tetsutetsu argued.

 “Don’t be stupid.” Killua snapped coldly. “The villain’s have the advantage out here. You need to stick together and get back to camp.”

 “But this is our chance--” Tetsutetsu started.

 “You want to fight?” Killua asked, “Get back to camp and fight as a united front. There are already at least 10 students there.”

 He seemed to want to argue, but relented at Killua’s tone. “Fine. Let’s get moving.”

 “Stay together.” Killua warned. “Don’t let anyone out of your sight.”

 “Where are you going?” Kendo asked harshly.

 “Hunting.” Killua said flatly, then disappeared into the trees silently.

 He continued on his way, dashing through the forest in search of anyone, student, hero or villain. He stopped as he spotted a patch of blood on the ground, but nobody was in sight. He heard nothing. If his guess was correct, he should be around the half-way point.

_Ragdoll._ He realized, but there was nobody around--

_“Everyone in Class A and Class B! In the name of the pro hero, Eraser Head, you are granted permission to engage in combat!”_

_Too late._  Killua thought coldly, dashing through the forest in search of anyone at all.

_Everyone before the halfway point should be out by now, but I don’t know where anyone else from Class B is._ The gas in the air began to grow even more dense as he went, to the point where he could hardly see beyond a few feet. He slowed down and continued forward cautiously, wondering if he was nearing the source. He noticed movement and crept forward silently, ready to--

 “Yaoyorozu?” He asked, causing her to jump in surprise.

 She held her hand to her chest and heaved out a few deep breaths. “You scared me, Killua!”

 “Sorry. Did you happen to see Ragdoll?”

 She paled, “I.. She got knocked out and carried away by a Nomu.”

 Killua cursed under his breath. “Now they have a hostage.” He looked up when he heard a sound, trying to remember who she was supposed to be with. “Kaminari?”

 “Here!” Kaminari responded as he burst from the trees. “The source of the gas is close.”

 Killua nodded, “I’ll take care of it. Keep moving through.”

 “Are you sure?” Yaoyorozu asked.

 “Yes.” He said confidently.

 She nodded curtly and motioned for Kaminari, who looked back at Killua with concern before turning to follow.

 Killua dashed into the gas quickly, determined to find it’s source quickly. As it got thicker, he began to get a nervous sensation in his stomach. Someone was--

 “I can feel anyone that comes this close in my gas. Step any closer and I’ll shoot.” A muffled voice warned from inside the gas.

_A gun? That would kill most of these students. But they are targeting one.._ Killua snapped, finally allowing himself to let go and casting himself into that dark part of his mind. He had kept to his determination so far, but it was becoming too much.

_I did warn Vlad that this would happen,_ He thought hollowly. As he spotted a hint of a silhouette in the gas, he shot forward.

 By the time the gun went off, he was already perched on the shoulders of the gas-masked villain, and the villain’s neck was already unnaturally bent. The villain crumpled lifelessly and the gas almost immediately began to disperse. Slowly, but surely, the gas would clear.

 Killua kept moving, unable to pull himself from his trance. If he saw any more villains--

 He spotted Yaoyorozu and Kaminari stopped on the path, staring forward into the darkness. Killua dashed past them to seek out the trouble, but what found was worse.

 A severed arm lay in a pool of blood on the ground, bloody footprints trailing away from it. Killua looked around, spotting a nearby rock with blood splattered on it as well. His mind darkened further. If one of the students was dead…

 “Let’s go.” Killua said hollowly. He didn’t wait for them.

 He continued forward, picking up the pace to a full sprint. Distantly, he felt desperate. Guilty. If he had been faster..

 He pushed it away as he spotted a glimmer of metal ahead of him. He moved forward and caught sight of something he didn’t recognize. What appeared to be a villain was crawling forward on long blades of metal. The villain was strapped in a leather suit, almost completely restrained.

 And then something dark smashed through the trees and slammed the villain into the ground violently, almost certainly crushing him in the process. Killua looked up to see a massive, enraged Dark Shadow rampaging through the trees. He moved forward cautiously to spot a desperate Tokoyami fighting for control, held in place by his out of control quirk.

 He stepped forward steadily as Bakugou and Shouto turned to stare at him. In the distance, he spotted Shouji peeking around a tree in fear.

 “Dark Shadow.” Killua said calmly, his tone completely hollow.

 The enraged embodiment of darkness whirled around to glare at him, then paused. It continued to stare at him, neither one willing to back down. Neither one moved.

 Killua slowly reached a hand out and focused his aura into _ _Hatsu__ , and lightning flared to life through his body brightly, shining it’s glow onto the massive shadow. At the same time, Bakugou and Shouto ran forward to use their quirks for light.

 Immediately, Dark Shadow pulled back and chirped weakly before disappearing altogether. Tokoyami dropped to his knees on the ground, heaving deep breaths and trembling profusely. “I-I’m sorry. I.. panicked and let Dark Shadow take over. He ended up hurting Shouji.”

 “Hey, let’s worry about that later.” Shouji said calmly.

 Tokoyami’s head shot up to look at him in surprise.

 “You did a good job back there.” Shouji assured.

 Tokoyami stared at him for a moment before nodding weakly.

 “Killua..” Shouto asked with concern. “Are you alright?”

 At that moment, Yaoyorozu and Kaminari came rushing forward, panting for breath.

 “Killua,” Yaoyorozu began in a panicked voice, “What was--”

 “No time.” Killua said coldly. “Sorry, but we need to get moving.”

 “Yeah.” Midoriya said weakly. “We’ve confirmed that Bakugou is one of their targets.”

 “Then we need to escort him back to camp. All of us.” Shouto said calmly.

 “If we go back the normal way, we’ll draw attention to ourselves. The other Pussycats are still fighting in the clearing. We should cut through the forest and take a straight path.” Midoriya suggested.

 “There may be other villains,” Yaoyorozu pointed out. “We could run into one on the way.”

 “We should go through the normal path. If the Pussycats are still there, I’ll help them. Those two won’t have a chance to catch anyone. I’ll scout ahead.” Killua volunteered. “Listen for whistles. One long whistle means it’s clear, two short whistles means trouble.”

 “Hey!” Bakugou demanded. “Let me in on this! I don’t need to be protected!”

 Killua fixed him with a cold glare, “You are their goal. If we lose you, this is all for nothing.”

 Bakugou glared right back.

 “Enough!” Shouto snapped. “We need to go. Killua, take point.”

 Killua nodded, then began moving forward silently. He paced himself to be just slightly faster than the others would be moving. Far enough ahead to catch anything out of the ordinary, but close enough that they could clearly hear any warning. He scouted ahead with ease, occasionally letting out one long whistle behind him. He could hear the students’ footsteps behind him clearly.

__Going to have to work on that.__  He thought idly as he went, until they broke into a smaller clearing. Killua turned back to meet them.

 To find only everyone except Bakugou and Tokoyami.

 “Where are Bakugou and Tokoyami?” Killua asked with alarm.

 “Ah, those two boys you’re talking about,” A cheerful voice sounded from up in a tree behind them. “I took them with my magic. Their talents shouldn’t be wasted on--”

 Killua flashed forward, slamming a palm into the villain’s stomach and forcing electricity to flow through him. He brought a knee up to catch the villain’s chin, then smashed his head into the tree next to him. “You’re lucky my friends are around.” Killua stated in a hollow tone.

 The villain crumpled to the ground, and what appeared to be four marbles fell to the ground. Two of them popped open to reveal Tokoyami and Bakugou, both of whom looked up in a startled daze.

 “Can you walk?” Killua asked flatly.

 “Damn it! Yeah.” Bakugou barked as he stood up.

 “Yes.” Tokoyami said simply as he stood as well.

 “Let’s go. We’re almost there.” Killua said before turning and walking away.

 Soon enough, they entered into the clearing they had started from to find several gathered students, ones that had been caught in the forest at the start. Mandalay and Tiger had successfully apprehended the other two villains, and no others were in sight.

 “So... it _was_ you that took out my subordinates!” A deep, mildly amused voice spoke from the far side of the clearing. “There’s been a change in plans, little assassin.”

_That voice…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ready? Because I don't think anyone is. Including me.


	32. Desperation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to my personal hell: Formatting!
> 
> Love it or hate it, here it comes!

 Killua turned slowly to find the source of that voice, only to have his fears confirmed. The voice sounded different than it had back then, but the tone was there. The confidence, the mild amusement of a man that knew he had every advantage. That everything was going just as he planned, with none the wiser.

 “You see, little assassin,” The man continued, holding his arms out as if he was making some grand announcement on a stage, “I had thought, perhaps, to extend my offer to you once again. However, I think we both know that you can’t be trusted.”

_All for One…_ There was no sign of the face that Killua had partially seen before. Now, the plain-suited villain wore a contraption over his face, wrapping around his neck. Considering the tubes he had glimpsed protruding from the villain’s neck and face when he had seen him on the TV screen, he assumed it was a breathing apparatus of some sort. The skin above it was nothing but scar tissue. Even his eyes were gone, replaced with the mangled tissue.

 Suddenly, the villains that had been apprehended wreathed under the heroes, screaming until a dark liquid, almost an ooze, bubbled up from their mouths. Seconds later, they disappeared only to reappear next to All for One.

 “Join the rest of your team back at the base.” All for One told them, his voice turning menacing. “I’ll take it from here. Kurogiri, gather the rest and go back as well.” The two villains and Kurogiri disappeared without a word of complaint.

_Run._  That voice, once distant and almost forgotten, suggested from the back of his mind.

 Killua shivered, but pushed it back. He glanced over at Mandalay, who was standing nearby with a wary look on her face. Her stance suggested that she was ready for a fight. Killua spoke quietly, his voice chilled. “Mandalay.. take the rest of the students and get out of here. As far as you can.”

 “No, Anomaly!” Mandalay argued. “It’s our responsibility to protect our students.”

 Killua knew strength when he saw it, and it was right in front of him. The heroes and students alike would die here, he knew. This was a villain that had permanently injured All-Might himself, had been a tyrant and menace for over a century. A villain that could give and take quirks at a whim. No, they wouldn’t have a chance. All for One couldn’t steal his powers, but Killua couldn’t win. Could he?

_No._ That voice rang in his head again, more insistent. Illumi’s voice, a remnant of his training that had grown dormant in his confidence.

 Killua shuddered as he tried to shake it off. He couldn’t afford to panic now. His voice grew more insistent. “Mandalay--”

 “What’s going on here?” Aizawa demanded from behind as he ran up to them.

 “Aizawa, take everyone and get out of here.” Killua said coldly.

 “What do you mean, who--” Aizawa began.

 “There’s no time!” Killua snapped, glaring at the hero to press his point. “He’s here for me. The other villains are gone.”

 “You see, little assassin.” All for One continued, the grandiose tone returning to his voice. “All-Might is weakening. He has been on the decline for years! There is plenty of time to ensure his downfall. But you...” All for One chuckled deeply, menace taking over his tone. “You managed to deceive me. Something you’ll find I do not appreciate.”

_Leave them._  The voice echoed through his head. _They aren’t your problem. You don’t need them._

_No!_  Killua argued with himself. His instincts. He wouldn’t leave them to die here. The villain wanted to fight him.

 “You can’t fight him. He’ll steal your quirks and kill you.” Killua argued to the heroes.

 Midoriya gasped, his eyes opening wide with horror. “All for One..”

 “Yes.” Killua confirmed. “Aizawa, don’t get your students killed. Take them and go. I’ll buy time.”

_You’re the one that will get them killed. Leave them to die._  The voice grew louder.

 “Killua--” Aizawa began.

 “Shut up!” Killua wasn’t sure who he was talking to at this point. His head throbbed. Something was wrong with him. He whirled on Aizawa. “Do you want to get them killed? Hand their quirks over to the most powerful villain in the world?”

 “No, but you aren’t fighting him alone!” Aizawa snapped.

 “I am!” Killua snapped back. “I’ll buy you time and escape on my own.” He knew, deep down, that that wouldn’t be an option. “Go!”

 Aizawa studied him for a moment, then nodded grimly. “No arguing, kids. Get moving, now!” Concerned look and hesistant glances were thrown Killua’s way, but he ignored them. Aizawa growled, “I said go!”

 The students took off running, then Killua turned to Mandalay and Tiger. “You too. Go!”

 “But--”

 “He’s right.” Aizawa interrupted. “Let’s go.”

 Tiger and Mandalay hesitantly nodded, then turned to go.

 “Killua.” Aizawa spoke grimly. Regretfully.

 Killua said nothing, but looked at him expectantly.

 Aizawa gave the barest of smiles, “Be careful.”

 Killua gave a grim smile and nodded in return. “Always.”

 Aizawa took off after the other heroes and his students, leaving Killua alone with All for One.

 Killua was trembling as he stepped forward, years of training flashing through his mind. His family’s words pummeling him as he fought against his every instinct. He couldn’t win against a stronger opponent, so why should he even try?

_I have to._  He argued with himself. _Or they will all die._

_Connections are a liability._ Illumi’s voice reverberated through his mind. _An assassin doesn’t care for others. Friends are a weakness._

 “So you will try to fight me yourself!” All for One observed with dark amusement. “No matter. You see, while All-Might is on the decline, you had time to grow. Pity that you chose the wrong side.”

 All for One raised his hand casually towards Killua, and Killua flared his aura defensively in preparation.

_Run._ The voice was a deafening rumble through his mind, an instinct attempting to take hold of Killua by force.

 Killua dashed to the side to avoid an inevitable attack, but wasn’t prepared for the violent burst of air that shot forward. Before he could make it out of the path, the air caught him and blasted him backwards into the forest. Trees snapped under the pressure of the blast, as Killua felt the impact as he slammed into one before tumbling to a stop.

 He stood shakily before quickly checking himself over, noting that despite a few cuts and bruises, he was mostly unharmed. All at once, he was both glad that he had practiced more with something other thanelectricity and kicking himself for not practicing more.

 “This can’t be the assassin that caused my subordinates so much trouble!” All for One taunted.

_Do not engage in a direct fight. Retreat._  Illumi’s voice shook his mind.

 Killua gritted his teeth against the urge to run. He had no choice but to fight here.

 “Don’t worry, little assassin.” All for One exclaimed with evil amusement. “I’ll kill them all after I’m done with you. They will make for a good collection!”

 Killua reached for that emptiness, wanting nothing more than to give into the urge to kill. All for One wasn’t just here for him. He wanted to take out the future altogether. He couldn’t grasp it, the voice in his mind shattering his focus.

_You can’t win._ Illumi repeated in his mind. The tone the same, yet somehow much louder and more insistent.

 Killua moved, trying to get out of the way of the blast coming his way, but he was too slow. Too distracted. He barely got his arms up to protect his face when he was sent crashing through the forest again.

_This is bad._  Killua thought as he tumbled to a stop. _I have to protect them. I can’t run away._

_Run._  A spike of pain shot through him as he fought the urge.

_What's going on? Illumi’s voice… it’s almost as if--_

Killua froze as an idea occurred to him, putting a hand to his head. He remembered the hunter exam, and how his brother had revealed himself at the end. He had used needles…

 Killua pushed his aura into his hand, feeling _ _something__  in his head. He sharpened his fingers and cut inward, grabbing that something and pulling it out as hard as he could. Blood shot out and covered his fingers, and he looked down at it.

_A needle._  Killua realized as a flood of relief washed over him. The previous tension that had gripped him faded almost instantly, such a contrast that he began laughing.

_He really got me good, didn’t he?_ He thought with amusement. He tossed the needle to the ground and began stepping forward.

 “Now that that’s gone, I feel much better.” Killua said casually as he prepared himself for the fight. Potentially the hardest fight of his life.

 All for One laughed menacingly, “Do you? Even after your friends refused to listen to you?”

 Killua glanced behind him to look, and All for One shot forward in his distraction. Killua barely got his arms up in time to block the villain’s punch. The impact threw him backwards, but he twisted in the air and managed to catch himself on his hand. As he righted himself, All for One pressed the advantage, charging forward again to throw another massive punch.

_He’s fast, and I can’t take too many hits. Nen can protect me, but I’ll run out of energy fast._ Killua focused on dodging the flurry of attacks coming his way, ducking a massive punch and side-stepping another. He spotted an opening and shot forward to land a hit to All for One’s ribs, only to be thrown back by another punch that he was barely able to block.

 Before he could recover, a blast of air caught him and threw him backwards. This time, however, there were no trees for him to hit. He rolled and shot up quickly to prepare for another attack.

 That’s when he spotted the students and heroes watching from a distance.

_Idiots! They’re going to get themselves killed!_  Killua dashed to the side to put All for One’s back to them. He couldn’t risk them getting hit by one of the massive attacks.

 “I wonder what your friends will think when they see how willing you are to kill.” All for One taunted casually. “What will the _ _heroes__  think of that?”

 Killua shrugged, faking nonchalance of his own, “I never liked playing by the rules.”

 All for One chuckled knowingly as Killua flared with electricity. He would have to do some damage before he risked using _ _Godspeed.__  He was beginning to grow tired, meaning he wouldn’t have much time to use it. He also didn’t want to reveal it until the right moment.

 All for One charged forward in a blur as Killua dashed to the side. A blast of air erupted from the villain’s fist as Killua slammed an electrified palm into his side, stunning him in place. Killua sharpened his hand and slashed into All for One’s hamstring, then spun to deliver a kick to the man’s back.

 A burst of air sent him rocketing backwards instead, and Killua barely had time to brace himself before crashing through the trees once again. He felt a sickening crunch as he connected with a fallen tree, forcing the breath out of him. He shot up quickly, feeling a jolt of pain in his side as he gasped for breath.

_A broken rib, at least._ He noted idly, but otherwise ignored the pain to keep an eye on his opponent. He braced himself to get out of the way as he looked up to see a horrible sight. All for One’s arm was growing larger, deforming into a grotesque mass. The arm itself was almost as large as the villain, and it had a large opening at the end.

__A cannon.__  Killua cursed as he activated _Godspeed_ , dashing sideways in a flash to get of the way. He felt the air pressure shift as a massive blast decimated everything in it’s path. He barely managed to get out of the destruction, nearly being thrown from his feet as the ground rocked violently.

 As soon as he regained his footing, Killua shot into the air towards All for One. Lightning crackled violently as he disappeared in a flurry of attacks. He aimed for the ribs and midsection, landing blow after electrified blow in hopes that he was right about the man’s injuries. If he had to wear something to help him breathe, then maybe…

 He flashed into a spinning kick, dropping _ _Godspeed__  at the last moment to force the majority of his aura into his leg. The kick connected with All for One’s face, shattering the respirator and jerking his head to the side.

 To his horror, the villain recovered quickly. A menacing grin met him, and he was hardly given time to protect himself as a backhand crashed into his chest. He plummeted towards the ground, flaring his aura in preparation for the impact. He felt the air shift above him.

 In a panic he _ _pushed,__  forcing as much aura as he could outwards to protect himself as the air crashed into him. In an instant he was sent crashing into the ground, feeling it give way under the pressure. Bones cracked, air blasted from his lungs and was swept away. Something snapped. The quiet that followed was deafening.

 He stirred weakly as he tried to get up, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. His shoulder crunched sickeningly as he tried to move. Ribs screamed in agony and shifted unnaturally. His tolerance for pain was quickly being overwhelmed by the panic. He groaned as he sat forced himself to twist, leaning up on one elbow with great effort. He coughed as he gasped for air, and blood followed. He stared at his blood-soaked hand in confusion.

_I’m going to die here._  Killua realized. In a fog of agony, he distantly hoped that everyone was smart enough to get away. Surely after all of that destruction…

 He looked up sluggishly to see All for One floating in the air, his suit shredded in places and hanging ragged. Bruises and patches of blood showed on the man’s skin, but he appeared to be otherwise unharmed. That grotesque arm was twisting, growing.. morphing into something else.

_A fist,_  Killua put together. All for One was going to finish the fight with one final blow. Killua reached for _ _Nen__ , only finding a faint trace of his aura left.

_What is that thing All-Might always says? Plus.. Ultra?_  Killua thought weakly, coughing up more blood as he tried to laugh. His friends would know to run away. The heroes would get it. As long as everyone was safe.

_Shouto, Midoriya, Iida…_

“As much as I would like to continue this…” All for One called down, his menacing voice had a different tone.

_Uraraka, Kirishima, Kami--_

“I’m afraid you’ve run out of time.” The villain continued with a chuckle, but it sounded ragged.

_Aizawa, All-Might.. Tsukauchi…_

All for One raised his massive, deformed fist in preparation.

_No.._ Killua struggled to stand, the agony of his movements causing his vision to blur, threatening to fade to black. All for One shot down towards him, bearing down on him for one final blow. Killua flared his aura, trying desperately to do something, anything to stop it.

_I have to buy time._ Killua flashed with electricity as All for One got closer. In a flash, he began moving.

 Killua watched as the ground exploded, the point of impact where he had just been a moment before. Killua didn’t get much further before _ _Godspeed__  faded completely, falling to the ground as the earth shook violently. He coughed again and more blood followed, his bones shifted in all the wrong ways, his jointed crunched as he was shaken to the core.

 The earth settled after far too long, and Killua stared into the settling dust to see the edges of a crater. And as the dust settled further, he could only watch as All for One stalked towards him slowly. The man’s suit was torn to shreds, bleeding from a number of cuts. Limping. The villain’s manic grin was gone, replaced with a look of sheer contempt. That grotesque deformity of an arm was still intact, and he was only coming closer.

 Killua gasped for another breath, waiting for the end. Waiting for something. Anything.

_He’s bleeding.._

 Not that far now. Not much longer.

_If he can bleed.._

A few steps away, All for One stopped.

 Darkness called to Killua. Killua called on something else.

_For them, I’ll do anything._

Killua felt empty as he shot forward with a sharpened hand. All for One jerked in surprise as that hand tore into his chest.

 The darkness demanded an answer. Killua collapsed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **inwardly preparing for the Anime Physics majors to show up**


	33. Consolation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter for a while people, and it's a long one! I'm considering making this a "Part One" of a series with a bit of an epilogue after this chapter. It just feels right.
> 
> Part two will continue either whenever I want to or once the anime kicks up again.
> 
> For the time being, I'll be working on my other story and possibly starting another. So. Many. Ideas!
> 
> Hope you enjoy this emotional rollercoaster!

 When Tsukauchi Naomasa thought about having a son, he felt a lot of emotions, considered a lot of different situations.

 This was never one of them.

 From the first day they had met, Naomasa had watched Killua put himself into dangerous situations on a consistent basis. He always acted accordingly, handling each situation effectively and usually with ease. Not once during his time at U.A. had he been sent to Recovery Girl. Not once had he left a fight with more than minor wounds. Even against the hero killer he had come out with only minor injuries.

 When he arrived on the scene to see a broken, unresponsive Killua in Aizawa’s arms, something inside him broke. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t say a word. One look at the teacher was enough to communicate both of their feelings. Guilt.

 He was immediately pulled from the case. While typically they trusted him to be objective in every case, this one went far too personal for him. He was told to take time off to be with Killua. A year ago, if anyone had told him that he would be in a hospital waiting room, desperately hoping and praying that his son would recover, he would have laughed in their face.

 He wasn’t laughing.

 Naomasa was a father now, something that should have been one of his happiest moments. All he felt now was bitterness. He had planned to wait until the training camp was over to tell Killua that the adoption had went through smoothly. The camp was over now, and he feared he would never get the chance.

_If only I had listened to him._

 

 _____________________________________________

 

 If anyone were to ever tell Aizawa that he would stand idly by, watching as one of his students took on the country’s most powerful supervillain by himself, he would probably laugh in their face.

 Nobody had ever told him that. Nobody ever would have. But that’s exactly what he did. He watched.

 He couldn’t bring himself to leave. He couldn’t abandon Killua to that monster. But as soon as that first explosive attack had sent Killua flying, he knew that there was nothing he could do. Trying to cancel the villain’s quirk had done nothing. There were too many of them, and he couldn’t tell one from another. So he and his students watched as Killua fought for his life.

 He had carried the boy’s limp body to an ambulance.

 The moment he was alone, the next day, he had dropped his head into his hands, growling in frustration at himself. How could he have let a student throw himself into danger to protect _ _his__  students. To protect him. How could he have watched and done nothing?

 How did he not know who such a powerful villain was?

 Through it all, however, he knew one thing: All-Might knew who it was. Aizawa didn’t care what he had to do to get answers, but he would get them.

 He held his head in his hands and heaved a weary sigh.

 After seeing the #1 hero’s face, he decided that perhaps it could wait until the boy woke up. If he woke up at all.

 

_______________________________________________

 

 When All-Might joined one of the rescue teams, he didn’t smile. When one of the heroes made a bad joke, he didn’t laugh. When he smashed through the walls of the compound and rescued Ragdoll, he didn’t say “I am here!”

 Because he wasn’t there. Not when it mattered.

 He had heard young Killua’s warnings. They all had, and none of them had listened. The participating heroes were confident in their precautions, confident in their ability. Confident that they could protect their students. Until that student was the one that had to protect them.

 __Confidence is both an advantage and a disadvantage.__  Killua had told them that once. Ironically, it had been after his first encounter with All for One. All-Might couldn’t help but wonder if he had been confident in his last encounter. He didn’t believe so.

 Killua never should have had to fight All for One. That was All-Might’s battle, a battle that neither had truly won. It should have ended there, and they foolishly allowed themselves to believe that it had. All-Might had never finished the job. And now his best friend’s son was paying for it.

 “All-Might.” A rough voice asked from next to him.

 All-Might looked up, realizing that he was still outside the League’s compound, and looked over to his old rival.

 “He will wake up.” Endeavor assured him with gruff confidence. “That kid would never give up.”

 All-Might let out a ragged sigh, “I hope so.”

 Endeavor clapped him on the shoulder and walked away, leaving All-Might to wonder if any of this was real.

 

 ____________________________________________

 

 It was a quiet and somber week for the students in the U.A. dorms..

 Strained attempts at conversation quickly faded into painful silence. None of them would say it was awkward, exactly. They were In this together. They all knew the gravity of the situation, as they were there to see it all happen. Against Killua’s wishes. When Aizawa-sensei stopped, they stopped, as if watching a train wreck.

 Even Bakugou, Shouto noticed, wore a sad and pensive expression.

 Shouto felt hollow. One of the first people he had ever called a friend, the person who had done so much and expected so little for it. The person who had appeared in his life like a flash of lightning to change it for the better. The person who had been willing to sacrifice it all for them. A hero among heroes was fighting for his life because they couldn’t help him.

 Guilt was a constant energy in the dorms, intensified as they gathered in the main living area.

 “Look.” Bakugou said suddenly, earning himself their attention. “All of this is fucked up, but Sparky didn’t throw himself at that fucker so we could blame ourselves. We couldn’t do _ _anything__! I get it, we stood there and watched as he fought that bastard alone. But fuck that. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of being protected. I’m gonna be the best so that this never happens again.”

 A stunned silence fell over the group.

__Leave it to Bakugou to somehow be inspiring.__

 “Dude…” Kirishima began quietly.

 “What a speech!” Kaminari pointed out.

 “Shut up.” Bakugou said with a scowl.

 The door slammed open, and every student whipped around to see an exhausted Aizawa standing in the doorway.

 “He’s awake.”

 For a moment nobody moved, until a single relieved sob broke the silence. Everyone moved at once, rushing towards the door and their exasperated teacher.

 _"Stop!”_ Aizawa roared, activating his quirk for extra intimidation.

 Everyone froze, staring at him expectantly.

 Aizawa sighed heavily, rubbing his face tiredly. “I told you that so you can stop worrying. The only people allowed to see him are pro-heroes and the police for precautionary purposes. Plus.. I’m not sure you’re ready for the scolding.”

 

 ______________________________________

 

 Killua awoke with a start, only to be greeted by blindingly bright lights and an incessant beeping sound. He shifted slowly, discomfort immediately setting in as he felt the various tubes running along his body. He gingerly tested his movements, checking over himself to assess the damage. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel any pain whatsoever, just a weary stiffness.

 Killua looked around for a moment before his eyes settled on the person sitting in a chair against the wall. Tsukauchi was fast asleep, looking uncharacteristically unkempt. His white dress shirt was wrinkled and unbuttoned at the top, with the usual tie hanging loosely around his neck. Days worth of stubble and dark circles indicated that he had been there for a while.

 Killua groaned, knowing that he must have been there for quite some time if his injuries were healed. Unless Recovery Girl had made the trip to heal him.

 _There goes my perfect record._  He thought idly. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as the events replayed through his mind. Now that he thought of it, he probably wouldn’t have survived without Recovery Girl.

 The door opened to reveal a doctor, who took one look at the sleeping detective before stepping in quietly. “Hello, Killua. My name is Dr. Ayamo. How are you feeling?”

 “Tired, but fine.”

 The doctor nodded, “You were in critical condition when you arrived. We had to perform multiple surgeries in order to stabilize you. Recovery Girl told us that trying to heal you in that condition would have killed you.”

 “But she did later?”

 The doctor nodded, “Two days ago. You’ve been asleep since then.”

 Killua nodded, “Thank you.”

 “You’re very welcome.” She said with a smile. “It’s the least we can do. Now, we want to keep you for another night, just in case, but since you’re awake we can remove the IVs.”

 “Please.” Killua said with relief.

 The doctor smiled and shook her head before setting to work.

 Killua let his mind wander to avoid watching the process. He wasn’t sure how to feel. Relief. Anger. Concern. He wondered how all of the other students and heroes were doing. He glanced over at Tsukauchi, who was still fast asleep.

 “He’s been here the whole time.” The doctor stated with a click of her tongue. “No matter how many people tried to get him to go home for a while, heroes or not.” She smiled kindly. “He’s a good father.”

 _Father. That must mean the adoption went through._  Killua sighed heavily.

 “Yeah,” Killua agreed with a sad smile. “He is.”

 The doctor patted him on the shoulder, “Don’t worry about it too much. He will just be happy that you’re okay.” She stood up and smiled again. “I’ll leave you alone to wake him up so you can have some time. I’m sure you’ll have plenty more visitors soon.”

 Killua groaned, earning himself a small laugh before the doctor left.

 He stood up slowly to test his movements, then walked over to Tsukauchi. He put a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently.

 Tsukauchi stirred, then made a small groaning sound as he stretched, causing Killua to smile softly. Tsukauchi’s eyes opened, red with stress and a lack of sleep, then widened as he realized that Killua was standing in front of him. “Killua--”

 Killua threw his arms around him, and Tsukauchi returned the embrace tightly. “Did everyone make it?”

 “Yeah.” Tsukauchi said, his voice choked up. Killua felt the wetness seep through his hospital gown at the shoulder before he felt the man begin to shake. Soon, he was rubbing his new father’s back in comfort as the man let it all out.

 “I’m sorry, Killua.” He cried. “I should have listened to--”

 “You have no reason to be.” Killua told him firmly, his own voice becoming thick with emotion. “It’s over.”

 “But you could have died--” Tsukauchi argued.

 “And I would do it again,” Killua insisted as tears of his own spilled over, “as long as it means that everyone is safe.”

 “Killua--”

 “Dad, stop.”

 Killua heard and felt the gasp as Tsukauchi froze.

 “How did you…?” Tsukauchi trailed off.

 Killua smiled, “Doctor let it slip.”

 A small laugh escaped from Tsukauchi’s throat. “Figures.”

 Killua pulled back from the long embrace and sighed. “What a way to celebrate, huh?”

 Tsukauchi rubbed his face tiredly, but his eyes regained their usual brightness as he smiled with relief. “You can say that again.”

 A polite knock sounded at the door, and they both turned as the doctor peeked in looking nervous. “Um.. you have some visitors. Heroes.”

 Killua and Tsukauchi shared a look, and Tsukauchi smiled and shrugged.

 Killua sighed, then turned back to the doctor. “Let them in. Thanks.”

 She nodded hurriedly before pushing the door further open and retreating quickly.

 Killua wasn’t expecting Endeavor. And he certainly wasn’t expecting All-Might to be with him.

 “See?” Endeavor said gruffly, “I told you he wouldn’t give up!”

 All-Might gave a nervous laugh, “I see that!”

 Killua rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “Hey.”

 Endeavor gave a short laugh, “”Hey”, he says! After all that.” He walked over to set a box down on the table next to Killua’s bed.

 “What’s this?” Killua asked with a raised eyebrow..

 Endeavor shrugged, “Shouto said you like chocolate.”

 Killua’s eyes lit up, causing Tsukauchi to chuckle.

 Killua opened the box immediately, pulling out a piece of chocolate and popping it in his mouth. He grinned widely.

 “Are you sure you should be eating chocolate, Killua?” Tsukauchi asked with an amused expression.

 “Really, dad?” Killua asked with a playful glare.

 All-Might finally seemed to relax as he boomed with laughter.

 Endeavor grunted his amusement, then began to leave. “Glad to see you’re alright, Anomaly.”

 Killua nodded, “Thanks for the chocolate!”

 Endeavor gave him a meaningful look, “It’s the least I can do. I should be thanking you.”

 As the door shut, Tsukauchi and All-Might shared thoroughly confused looks. Tsukauchi cleared his throat. “What.. was that about?”

 All-Might shrugged, “I honestly don’t know.” He turned to Killua and raised an eyebrow.

 Killua shrugged, “It’s a long story.”

 “I see.” All-Might shot a glance at the door before he switched to his civilian form in a puff of steam. He took a seat on the other side of the bed and sighed heavily.

 Tsukauchi cleared his throat and stood up suddenly, giving Killua a reassuring smile. “I’ll go get you something to eat. Besides chocolate.”

 Killua nodded, sensing that there was another reason that he was leaving.

 As the door shut, Toshinori looked up at Killua with dark, regretful eyes. “I’m sorry, Killua.”

 Killua tilted his head, “For what?”

 “I wasn’t there.” he said quietly. Regretfully.

 “He was there to kill me.”

 “I know.” Toshinori said sadly.

 Killua sighed, “He was there because of me. Because I was a threat.”

 “Yeah.” Toshinori’s voice was strained.

 Killua’s voice was steel. “Are you seriously blaming yourself for that?”

 Toshinori gave him a shocked look. “Killua, he was my mortal enemy.”

 “And?” Killua prodded.

 “He should have been dead. I thought he was dead.” Toshinori explained. “Because I couldn’t finish the job, the most powerful villain was able to come after you!”

 “So I finished the job for you.” Killua said calmly. “You fought him and achieved 6 years of peace. You toppled his reign and left him to pick up the pieces. How can you blame yourself for that?”

 “You shouldn’t have had to face him. I.. know how that must have been. You almost died!”

 “And I don’t regret it. Neither should you.” Killua argued. “It’s over.”

 Toshinori brightened up slightly, but frowned again. “But.. you had to kill because of me.”

 “I had to kill because of _ _him.__  Not you.” Killua heaved a frustrated sigh. “Listen. I felt more alive in those moments than I have in a long time. I was helping my friends, protecting them with skills that I was given to _ _hurt__  people. I gave them time, All-Might. I won’t regret helping my friends.”

 Toshinori stared at him for a long moment. “I.. still should have been there.”

 “You were.” Killua stated simply.

 Toshinori gave him a puzzled look.

 “Towards the end, It was really bad. I… thought it was over.” Killua admitted. “When I was thinking about everyone, I thought of you and your words: Plus Ultra. I think.. that might be the only reason I’m here. I found that little extra, when I had nothing left. And I won.”

 Suddenly, All-Might puffed up into his muscle form, filling out his previously oversized suit. Even as a tear leaked down his face, he was grinning brightly. He pulled Killua into a bone-crushing hug.

 “My boy.” He mumbled deeply. “You have no idea how much that means to me. I… thank you.”

 After a moment, they pulled back and All-Might wiped his face. The grin was still there.

 A comfortable silence fell, until Killua had to ask. “So.. What’s going to happen to me now?”

 All-Might cocked his head, “What do you mean, young Killua?”

 “I killed a villain, All-Might.” Killua reminded him. “I won’t just get away with it.”

 All-Might patted his shoulder reassuringly, “On the contrary.. The support for you has been overwhelming!”

 Killua frowned, “What do you mean, support?”

 All-Might’s grin faltered for a moment, “Ah, I suppose you wouldn’t have known.. For some reason or another, one of the students decided to record the fight.” Upon seeing Killua’s scowl he held up a hand. “Because of the nature of the attack, we couldn’t keep it quiet. The backlash was fierce, at first. First at the school, then at the teachers. Then at you.”

 “That doesn’t sound like support.” Killua pointed out with a skeptical look.

 All-Might shook his head, “Let me finish. They had only heard that a student had killed the villain. See, civilians don’t often understand the gravity of a situation until they see it. That’s why we decided to release the video to the news. With a name. That changed everything.”

 Killua groaned, “How much else do they know?”

 All-Might sighed, “I may have made a statement that the villain was a mortal enemy of mine. Though I didn’t go into too much detail. Either way, the public is in a frenzy about the young hero that saved everyone from All-Might’s arch-nemesis. We have been fighting off interview requests ever since.”

 “You’re kidding.” Killua said flatly.

 “Not at all.” All-Might said with a grin.

 Killua groaned again, throwing himself back on the bed. “Really? They’ll never leave me alone!”

 “What is it you said, young Killua?” All-Might taunted lightly, “You won’t regret it?”

 “That doesn’t mean I have to like it!”

 All-Might laughed heartily, “Either way, my boy, the public is in love with you, and many agencies have thrown in their support as well!”

 “I hate you, Uncle All-Might.”

 All-Might recoiled in shock, his face going bright red. “W-What..?”

 Killua grinned in amusement as the door opened to announce Tsukauchi’s return. “Since Tsukauchi’s my dad now, and you’re really close.. that means you’re basically my uncle!”

 All-Might’s blush deepened as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and looked down sheepishly. “I-I… Well..”

 Tsukauchi took one look at him and started laughing so hard that he had to put the tray of food down on the bed.

 “I mean, you don’t have to be!” Killua said with a fake frown.

 All-Might waved his hands frantically, “No no no! I-I don’t mind..”

 Killua erupted into laughter, picturing All-Might’s face exploding from the embarrassment. Tsukauchi was hiding his face in his hand as he laughed at his best friend’s expense. All-Might stammered nervously as he tried to diffuse the situation.

 A knock sounded at the door, pulling Killua from his reverie. Tsukauchi didn’t even try to hide his amusement as he opened the door.

 Eraserhead stepped in, took one look around before asking in an exhausted tone, “Is this a bad time?”

  _ _“Idiot!”__  Killua yelled, and he was in front of Aizawa in a heartbeat. “What were you thinking? I told you to run! Instead I had to worry about you all being in the way! And how did someone even record the fight?”

 Aizawa flinched at the tirade, even looked away for a moment, before he spoke in his same bored tone. “Glad to see you’re okay, Anomaly.”

 Killua glared at him for a moment, before sighing heavily and hugging the teacher tight. "You're still an idiot."

 Aizawa breathed a sigh, "Can't argue with that."


	34. Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **EDIT: This is the end of Part 1! I will continue in the future with another story in this series, most likely, but for now I'm ending it here. Thanks everyone for coming along on this adventure :D
> 
> A little more angry big brother Killua, some completely pulled-out-of-my-ass government stuff, and some cute bonding time!
> 
> Enjoy! Let me know what you think, as always :D

 Killua followed Aizawa and Tsukauchi through the dormitory common room, portraying a level of calm that he didn’t feel. By the time Aizawa had shown up at his hospital room, he truly didn’t have the energy to tear him apart for his stupidity. He felt renewed now, however. At least until all of the students turned their varying gazes to him.

 Their visible emotions ranged from guilt to awe and everything in between. Or anger, in Bakugou’s case, but that was to be expected. Either way, he felt the edge to his resolve softening somewhat as he stepped forward to address them.

 “First things first,” Killua began, “you’re all idiots.”

 Most of the students nodded their agreement, not even attempting to argue.

 Killua sighed, “I know you didn’t want to leave me behind. I know you wanted to help. I get it. But that’s not the point. The harsh truth is that all of you,” He gave a pointed look to include Aizawa, “were in the way. Had I been even a little less experienced, that would have been the difference between life and death for _ _all__  of us. The entire reason I did what I did was so that you all could _ _get away!__  But you stayed. If I had failed, he would have came after all of you, taken all of your quirks, and then we would have an even stronger supervillain on our hands. Well, everyone else would have. Because we wouldn’t be here right now.”

 Some of the students looked down in shame, while others looked away altogether.

 “B-But, it turned out okay!” Kaminari argued. “That has to count for something!”

 Killua shook his head, “Look. I didn’t want to hear it at the time, but someone once told me that just because it turns out okay, doesn’t mean it _ _is__  okay. Because next time it might not be. Just because being reckless works out once, doesn’t mean it always will. Continuing to be reckless will make you a liability.”

 Killua let the silence sit as they absorbed the reality of the situation, though he had a feeling that they had already been through this together. He read resolve and determination underneath their shame. They had learned, and will continue to learn, from the experience.

 Iida stood up, and soon most of the students followed his example. “We want to apologize, Killua. I don’t know if it is enough, but we hope you can forgive us!”

 The students bowed deeply, and Killua felt a blush creeping onto his face.

 When they rose, Uraraka’s tear-filled eyes met his, “We truly are sorry, Killua!”

 “We’re.. glad you’re okay, Sparky.” Bakugou said grudgingly, “and we’re gonna make damn sure you don’t have to do that again, too!”

 Several students nodded, then Midoriya cut in, “Thank you for risking your safety for us, Killua. We’ll work extra hard so that we can be the ones saving people!”

 Killua sighed heavily, then felt his expression soften, “I know you won’t forget what happened, but what’s important is to learn your lessons from it and move on. You know what went wrong. Don’t let yourselves make the same mistake twice.”

 The students nodded eagerly, clearly glad to see that he wasn’t as angry anymore.

 “Oh, also…” Killua continued, “The only reason I survived is because I’m trained to kill. That was All for One’s downfall. You all won’t have that advantage in the future. In fact, it will be _ _your__  disadvantage. Villains are willing to kill where heroes aren’t. Keep that in mind.”

 “You aren’t a villain!” Kirishima argued.

 Killua shook his head, “Of course not. I was willing to kill to protect you guys, and I did. While I don’t regret it, I have no intentions of doing it again.” He grinned, ready to lighten the mood a bit, “Though now that I took out the strongest villain in the world, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

 “That fight was… insane, dude.” Kirishima admitted with a grin. “You’re like.. ultimate manly.”

 “I couldn’t even tell what was going on most of the time!” Jirou complained.

 “We had to slow down the footage to even--” Kaminari began.

 Jirou interrupted him with a smack to the back of the head, then looked away innocently.

 Killua grinned darkly, “Oh, yeah! Who’s bright idea was it to record the fight?”

 Yaoyorozu immediately went pale. As did Kaminari.

 Killua groaned, “Yaoyorozu made the camera and Kaminari recorded it, right?”

 Both students nodded weakly and refused to meet his eyes.

 “That was stupid,” Killua said firmly, “but in the end it did more good than harm, so whatever. Also, it means we have more to study!”

 All of the students groaned at that, causing Killua, Aizawa, and Tsukauchi to all grin.

 Killua shrugged, “Hey, you said you wanted to get better!” He turned to Aizawa, “We still have a couple months until the Provisional License Exam, right?”

 Aizawa cleared his throat and nodded, “That’s right. I expect every one of you to pass when the time comes.”

 The students all nodded eagerly in response, “Of course, Sensei!”

 A knock sounded at the door, and Aizawa walked over to open it. The door swung open to reveal two suited figures, one man and one woman, who Killua didn’t recognize. With them, however, was All-Might.

 “Pardon the interruption, Aizawa-san,” All-Might said politely, “However, could we borrow young Killua for a bit?”

 Aizawa nodded, and Killua gave a small wave to the students before moving to follow All-Might outside.

 The suited duo lead them a ways away from the building before stopping and turning to regard Killua. The woman spoke first in a professional tone, “Hello, Killua. I am Tsunari Akane,” She waved to her partner, who nodded, “and this is Tekashi Mataru. We’re with Japan’s Villain investigation Department, or VID.”

 Killua bowed his head, “Nice to meet you.”

 Tsunari nodded in return, “Likewise. You’re probably wondering why we’re here, of course. Well, officially we’re here to make you an offer.”

 Killua raised an eyebrow, “What is that?”

 “Firstly, I must admit that the different departments are… conflicted on your involvement in taking down All for One. Some pushed to have you reprimanded and punished for using deadly force against the villain.” She held up a hand as he opened his mouth, “Others… like us, for example, have been fighting to commend you for your decisive actions and believe that deadly force was a necessity.”

 The man, Tekashi, cleared his throat, “Of course we would have preferred to question All for One. However, we concluded that his information would be misleading at best. The man was a slippery and conniving as they come, I’m afraid.”

 Killua nodded at that, “You can say that again…”

 Tekashi and Tsunari both made a show of removing their badges before Tekashi continued with a small smile, “Officially, we cannot condone killing regardless of the situation. Unofficially, however, we want to thank you for ridding Japan of an ancient menace. Your skills have been proven time and time again, Anomaly.”

 Killua was embarrassed as they both bowed deeply to him, and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “W-Well.. I just did what was right.”

 “Precisely,” Tsunari continued, “you are truly a hero, despite how the naysayers try to twist it. That is why we are here, Killua. Japan has decided to officially commend you for your actions. As such, we are here to offer you your official Hero License.” She held up a finger, “Not a provisional, either.”

 Killua’s mouth dropped. He glanced between the two of them, looking for any sign of deceit. “But.. what?”

 All-Might boomed out a laugh and clapped him on the shoulder, “Young Killua, my boy, don’t look so shocked! Surely you are aware that you’ve proven yourself?”

 “I-I mean…” Killua stammered, “I guess so? But, I didn’t expect this! And I was really looking forward to taking the test with the others…”

 Tsunari and Tekashi shared a surprised look. Tekashi cleared his throat, “Well, I must say I’m surprised. Most young heroes would jump for joy at the opportunity. Though perhaps it should be expected!”

 Tsunari nodded in agreement, “Your experience speaks volumes, Killua. Though we had anticipated this. You can take the Exam with your fellow students, of course. However, we must insist that you accept your Hero License. You see, it’s already been made official.”

 Killua stared at them for a moment, “So.. I can take the Exam, but either way I have my Hero License?”

 All-Might nodded eagerly, his bright grin steady. “Yes, my boy! You’re officially a Hero, now!”

 Tekashi smiled brightly at him, his eyes glittering faintly with amusement. He held out what was indeed a hero license to Killua, who took it hesitantly.

 “Congratulations, Killua!” Tsunari and Tekashi exclaimed in unison.

 Killua stared at it in disbelief for a few moments, but recovered quickly and bowed his head to them. “Thank you.”

 “We are the ones thanking you here, young hero.” Tekashi stated with a smile. “You’re one of two people who can say they have fought All for One and lived. The only one who can say they won!” He turned to All-Might and blushed slightly, “No offense, All-Might!”

 All-Might barked a laugh and shook his head, “None taken, Tekashi-san!”

 “Who else.. knows about this?” Killua asked.

 “We have consulted with your teachers for our final decision, of course.” Tsunari informed him, “Otherwise, the news is all yours to tell!”

 Killua looked to All-Might, “Does Tsu--my dad know about this?”

 All-Might’s grin widened and he shook his head, “Not at all!”

 Killua grinned widely, causing the two agents to laugh.

 “Well, we will leave you to it, then!” Tsunari exclaimed. “We’re confident that you will continue to be a great hero, Killua.”

 “I will do my best.” Killua promised.

 Tekashi nodded in respect, then held out a business card. “We know you will. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call. We look forward to working with you.”

 Killua took the card and nodded, “I look forward to it!”

 The agents waved their goodbyes and walked away. All-Might, however, stayed behind.

 “You’ve truly done us all a great service, Killua-kun,” All-Might said warmly, “I’m proud of you. I’m sure your father will be as well.”

 “He’s going to accuse me of giving him gray hairs.” Killua said lightly.

 All-Might laughed, “That’s to be expected, my boy! Sometimes he swears that giving him gray hairs is my secret job!”

 Killua laughed as well, “Now he’s outnumbered!”

 All-Might laughed again patted him on the shoulder, “Well go on then, young Killua. Deliver the good news!”

 Killua frowned, “You aren’t coming?”

 All-Might shook his head, but his grin remained, “That spotlight is yours to claim, my boy.”

 “Okay,” Killua relented, “Thanks, All-Might.”

 “Thank you, Killua.” All-Might retorted, then he was off.

 Killua shook his head as he walked back to the dormitory. As he walked through the door, the students were distracted with their own conversations. Tsukauchi, however, was waiting for him with a concerned look.

 Tsukauchi put a hand on his shoulder, “Was that VID? What did they want?”

 Killua held up his Hero License to show his dad, “To give me this. And thank me.”

 Tsukauchi’s eyes opened wide in shock, then glistened as he pulled Killua into a hug. “You deserve it, Killua. I’m proud of you.”

 Killua returned the embrace, “Thanks, dad.”

 The loving warmth quickly turned into embarrassment as a dozen different voices noticed them, __“Awwww!”__

Killua turned to glare at them, causing most of the boys to laugh.

 “Go on, Killua.” Tsukauchi said with a fond pat on the shoulder, “Tell them the news.”

 Killua stood up and turned to the students that were waiting expectantly.

 “Well?” Kirishima asked impatiently, “What did they want? Are you in trouble?”

 “Actually, no..” Killua said as he held up the license, “I just got my Hero License.”

 The room exploded as everyone gasped and started talking at once.

 “Dude, like.. the provisional?” Kaminari asked loudly.

 “No.” Aizawa cut in, silencing the room. “He’s the real deal, now, and I expect you all to treat him as such.”

 “Well no shit!” Bakugou yelled, “He’s a fucking badass!”

 “Language, Bakugou!” Iida chided.

 “Seriously, though!” Kirishima cheered, “You deserve it, Killua!”

 “We have to celebrate two things now!” Hagakure exclaimed.

 “Killua’s back, and he’s a real hero now!” Uraraka cheered.

 “Kitchen’s mine, assholes!” Bakugou yelled.

 “As long as I can make dessert!” Sato called out.

 Soon, it was a whirlwind of activity around the common room, and Killua was swept away in the action. When it started to become too much, he walked over and collapsed on the couch to absorb everything that had just happened. All he knew was that he felt warm and welcome, but thoroughly overwhelmed.

 Quietly, Shouto sat down next to him with an amused look on his face, “Sick of the spotlight yet?”

 Killua sighed, “I’ll never escape it now.”

 “You won’t, but you’ll get used to it.”

 Killua shrugged, “Maybe. Hey, thanks for the chocolate, by they way.”

 Shouto gave him a puzzled look, “What chocolate?”

 “When I was in the hospital?” Killua prodded, “Endeavor came by to visit and he left me chocolate.”

 Shouto just looked more confused, “I didn’t send any chocolate.”

 _Weird…_ Killua shrugged, “He said you told him I liked chocolate.”

 “I did, at one point. Not recently, though.”

 Killua cocked his head in thought. “Huh.”

 “He must have brought it on his own.” Shouto pointed out. “I’m surprised he remembered.”

 Killua grinned, “It wasn’t even melted, either.”

 Shouto laughed at that, “That’s surprising.”

 “I almost said something, but I didn’t want to push my luck.”

 Shouto shook his head, “I don’t think he would mind anymore.”

 Killua raised an eyebrow, “Are things.. better now?”

 “Much better. He’s actually.. being a father. Still an asshole, but not to us.”

 “I’m glad.”

 “Me too,” Shouto said quietly, then met Killua’s eyes, “Thanks for that.”

 Killua grinned, “No problem.”

 _“Hey, Pro-nerd!”_ Bakugou screamed from the kitchen, “Sato wants to know what kinda cake you like!”

 “Chocolate!” Shouto called back.

_“Was I asking you, IcyHot?!”_

 Shouto laughed and Killua shook his head.

_It’s good to be home._


End file.
